Turn of Events
by BH72
Summary: When the death of an employee of a pharmaceutical company leads to a major threat of National Security, the team and Callen in particular, are stretched to the limits from turn of events that change everything about this case. OC from Callen's past brings far more than he envisaged in solving this case. Secrets and lies will be revealed. Involves whole team. Pairings: Densi/Nallen.
1. Chapter 1

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: After writing this, I watched The Frozen Lake from Season 5 and realised that I started this story very much in canon to this, with regards to Kensi and Deeks. Funny how the mind works sometimes, we are influenced in many ways when we write about our favourite Federal Agents._

**Chapter 1**

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

The morning at the Office of Special Projects had been slow, with Owen Granger enforcing the agents to catch up on their stack of paperwork, they'd neglected from a rough couple of weeks. Callen sighed as he trudged through his pile, which was the highest of them all. The office wasn't the same without their fairy godmother, Hetty Lange, who still hadn't returned after her visit to Washington D.C. Whatever had urged her presence on the east coast, had been hidden from the team. He looked over at Sam, who was getting through his paperwork quicker than the rest of them, as if he was a man with a mission. _Must be from his SEAL days. _Out of the four of them, Sam Hanna was the most organised. Callen twisted his chair to the right and caught Kensi's yawn from boredom. She thumped her head onto her desk, in hope it would wake her up.

"Late night, Kens?" Callen looked over to the detective, who had been rather quiet all morning, before bringing his attention back to the woman beside him.

Guilt flashed over Kensi's face, as she looked over to her partner. A smirk appeared on G. Callen's face, intrigued on what happened the night before between the younger partners. "U-huh!" He smile broadened. "You and Deeks, hey?"

Sam looked up and chuckled, when Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks tried to deny they they had even been together. "That's really cute," Sam joined his partner in teasing the pair. "when you talk at the same time." Memories of when they first met the detective as Jason Wyler returned to the forefront of their minds. Deeks had said the same thing about Callen and Kensi, in the boat shed. How far things had come, now it was the detective and Agent Blye who were caught out trying to hide things. Not that Callen and Kensi had ever been a couple, but together they tried to deny the existence of their secret office to Deeks.

"You stole my words." Deeks tried to redirect the topic of conversation, but there was no denying the two had been caught out.

"Stole, took, used, it doesn't matter, Deeks." Sam responded. "The fact is, you two have been caught out."

Deeks looked worriedly over to the alcove where Owen Granger sat, busy on the phone.

A shrill of a whistle broke the banter between the field agents, much to the relief of Deeks and Kensi.

"We're not finished here." Callen told them as they ascended the stairs.

The four agents walked through the sliding doors and saw an image of a dead body on the screen. "Such a welcoming image." Deeks muttered.

Eric and Nell rolled their eyes. "We don't have much time. This has just happened." Eric responded.

Callen focused on the details as they came up on the screen. "What has the death of a civilian got to do with us?"

"Peter Fellowes was an employee for Mitchell pharmaceuticals. The company provides our SEAL teams, marines and naval officers with vaccines of life threatening diseases and chemical warfare, that they may be exposed to while on duty." Nell replied.

"Has anything been stolen from them?" Kensi asked, with her brow furrowed. They knew what companies such as this one had stored on site, for the vaccines to be created - the live viruses and chemicals used in battle, were there too.

"Not that we know of. His body was found by his girlfriend an hour ago, LAPD handed the case over to us, due to the sensitivity of the company, once his employment was made known." Eric brought up some new images of the crime scene up on the screen.

Callen turned to Deeks and Kensi. "We'll go to the crime scene, see what LAPD missed and talk with the the girlfriend. You two go and see his employer, Warren Mitchell. See if he knows why anyone would want Fellowes dead, or if any threats have been made against anyone else in his company." The four of them left like a well oiled machine.

**_Crestview…_**

Sam drove, while Callen rode shotgun, thinking over what may have caused the execution of their victim. "There is no doubt, Sam, that this is a professional hit. Either Fellowes was dealing in something on the side from his employer, or something bigger than him caused him to be killed this way."

"You mean like a message to the owner of Mitchell Pharmaceuticals?" Sam briefly glanced over to his partner and noticed the look of concentration on his face.

"Possibly. Let's see what we all find from the crime scene, the girlfriend and Warren Mitchell." Callen was swift to exit the black challenger once Sam had pulled up outside the Crestview home on Sawyer Street. Police had taped the boundary of the white washed brick home, with an LAPD officer still guarding the crime scene. They showed their identifications and entered the house. The victim's body had been removed, but the girlfriend sat out the back of the house in the kitchen with a detective, in shock. Callen and Sam analysed the living room, where she had found her boyfriend's body, before going to speak with her. The room looked fairly clean, except for the blood splatter on the far wall and the pool of blood on the green carpet.

"Fellowes must have been caught off guard." Callen concluded. "The doorbell rings, he answers the door, no security screen to protect him from an intruder." Callen swings around from the front door, going over the event in his mind. "He starts to run away from said intruder and makes it into this room, where the gunman aims and fires. The gunman leaves swiftly, unseen by victim's girlfriend, who is asleep upstairs." Callen looked up at Sam. "He was the only target. If Fellowes was involved in something, surely the girlfriend would have been killed also?" He kept his voice low, as he talked his findings over with his partner.

"I agree with you, G. If Fellowes was involved in some below the belt scheme, and he'd turned on them, whoever wanted him dead, would have searched the house for whatever it was they wanted and also gone for the girlfriend. The house is left as it was, so they definitely weren't searching for anything. They came in and left before his girlfriend was aware of an intruder." Sam knelt down beside the pool of blood. "Carpets were recently cleaned, G. There's a footprint here, dirt on their shoes, perhaps they came across the garden towards the house, so not to be seen." Sam exited the house, following the dirty footprints out to the side of the building, with Callen behind him. "Here's a better shoe impression." Sam captured the shoe impression and emailed it through to Eric.

"Eric, I've found a shoe impression in the garden, which I also found by the victim's body." Sam announced. "This will eliminate the girlfriend, unless she has unusually large feet." Not that the girlfriend was a suspect, with the nature of the professional hit taken out on their victim.

"Got it, thanks, Sam." Eric placed the image into a search database to find the make and size of the shoe to help find their suspect.

Sam and Callen re-entered the house, to talk with the girlfriend. Samantha Billings was still in a state of shock over her boyfriend's murder. She sat at the dining table, holding a cup of tea that Detective Myers had made for her.

"Agent Sam Hanna," he greeted the woman, "and this is my partner, Agent Callen."

Samantha Billings looked up at Sam's voice, but her eyes appeared distant. "Is it okay with you if we sit down, Ms Billings?" She nodded, but remained quiet. "We understand this is hard for you, but we need to ask you some questions." She nodded, gripping the cup firmly in her hand.

"Has Peter mentioned to you about any concerns he had at work?" Callen asked her, studying her facial expressions as she thought over his questions.

Samantha shook her head. "No. You think this is related to his job?"

"We need to cover all angles. This was a professional hit, Ms Billings, unless there is some other reason why someone would want Peter dead in his personal life, we believe this may have something to do with Mitchell Pharmaceuticals."

Tears fell down Samantha's face as she looked at Callen. "He loved his job. Warren Mitchell was a good boss, fair, but a hard worker. Peter and Warren had become friends and often played at Warren's local golf club on the weekends. No one at his work would want Peter dead."

Callen stretched out his hand to soothe the woman. "We're not suspecting Warren Mitchell to have arranged the hit, Ms Billings. We are concerned due to the nature of the company's work, that a terror cell in Los Angeles may be sending the owner a threat."

"A terror cell?" Fear washed over her face, as she held her hand over her mouth, shaking. She looked around the house, "I can't stay here," she looked at Callen and Sam, "can I? What if they come back?"

"It's probably best if we take you to a safe house, just in case. But we don't think you were in any danger. If you were, they would have searched the house and found you earlier." Sam reassured her.

Samantha Billings nodded. "Can I pack some things?"

Callen and Sam nodded. "Of course." Sam and Callen stood to talk over the information they had. Both agents knew from experience that this was way bigger than just the run of the mill shooting, as they first thought.

**_Mitchell Pharmaceuticals…_**

"You know, Kensilina," Deeks began as they walked towards the entrance to the secured building, "usually we're all dressed up ready to go undercover, when we enter such a fine establishment, but today, I feel we're under dressed for the occasion."

Kensi stopped in her tracks. "You know, Deeks, you're right. Every since Hetty's been gone, we've hardly seen the contents of wardrobe. You don't think Hetty took it all with her, do you?"

"More like Granger's being tight. Doesn't want us looking better than he does in a suit. What is it with him wearing that suit every day? Doesn't he get bored with it?" Deeks faced his partner as they digressed over their superior's dress sense.

"You know, we could start keeping suits in our lockers for such occasions," Kensi began, before shaking her head, "no, it'll crush. Plus you don't own anything near to a suit, Deeks. At least you're wearing pants, unlike Eric, who is fighting a battle with Granger on his dress code. Did you see the closed in shoes Eric's been made to wear? It's only a matter of time he'll have to wear pants again. But Nell told me that the last time Hetty made Eric wear pants, she caught him trying to incinerate them. I worry how it will effect Eric in his work."

"At least Hetty accepted us all for who we are and not tried to change us, but with Granger, I feel he's plotting behind our backs to change us. We work so well together, why change what works?"

"Actually, Deeks," Kensi looked into his blue eyes, "Hetty was always moulding us, to make us better. So really, Granger is no different to Hetty. He's just less subtle."

Marty Deeks pondered for a moment. "I think you're right there, Fern. Let's go and talk with Mitchell. I wonder what he's like?"

Kensi and Deeks were surprised with the friendly reception they received as they were led up to the tenth floor, and into the waiting area outside Warren Mitchell's office. His secretary sat at her desk, typing away on her computer, but stopped when they arrived with security and greeted them with a smile. "Hello, Mr Mitchell will be with you in a few minutes, he's on a call. Is there anything I can bring you, tea, coffee, water?"

Kensi and Deeks returned the brunette's smile. "No, thank you." She directed them to some chairs with a fantastic view over the parkland beside the property.

"This is some view, perhaps we should ask Granger to move us to somewhere with a view?" Deeks muttered, keeping his voice low.

"We're supposed to be hiding, Deeks, that's why we don't have a view, but remind me later to show you the view from the rooftop. At sunset, it's beautiful." She smiled broadly at her partner, pleased how they had finally sorted out their stutter in their relationship and made the next step to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Warren Mitchell opened the door from his office and greeted Kensi and Deeks, much to their surprise. They were expecting his secretary to lead them through. He appeared rather relaxed and friendly. "Agent Blye and Detective Deeks?" Kensi and Deeks nodded, shaking his hand.

"I'm Warren Mitchell, please come through." He held the door opened for them and waited for them to sit down on the couches, off to the left in his large office. "I have to say, this is a surprise to receive an unannounced visit from NCIS. Is everything okay?"

"So you've had visits from Federal Agents before?" Deeks studied the blond before him. He was tall and athletic, with green eyes that shone brightly. _This man takes good care of himself._

"It's part of the nature of my company, it's expected to have Federal Agencies send their people in, to ensure that we're not being threatened, or at risk of our highly sensitive materials being stolen." Warren explained.

"Have you had any threats made out to your company before, Mr Mitchell?" Deeks inquired, satisfied the man appeared above board.

"Never, but your visit here today, concerns me that we have. Am I correct?" Warren was good at deciphering people, but the two before him were closed books. _Well trained agent and detective,_ he mused.

"What can you tell us about Peter Fellowes?" Kensi asked him, studying him as he answered.

A smile spread across Warren's face at the mention of his employee. "Peter has been my saving grace, since we moved to Los Angeles five years ago. He's a hard worker, smart and a good man. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know he hasn't showed up for work today?" Kensi watched Warren furrow his brow and shake his head.

"No. I've been busy all morning with meetings. We don't usually connect until after lunch on Thursdays. Is he alright?"

"We're sorry, Mr Mitchell, but Peter Fellowes was killed this morning." Kensi revealed.

"What? No. What happened?" Confusion and grief spread across his features.

"It was a professional hit. We've got agents at his residence checking over the crime scene and talking with Ms Billings." Deeks explained to him.

"Poor Samantha." Warren rubbed his hand through his hair, with worry.

Kensi's cell rang and she noticed it was Callen. "Excuse me, I need to take this call." She walked over to the other side of Mitchell's expansive office, looking out at the parkland view. "Hey, Callen, what have you found out? We've just told Warren Mitchell about Fellowes."

"We believe this is a threat against the company, Kens. Ask the owner if he's had any threats, against the company or himself? Something is going on, we need to get to the bottom of who killed Fellowes and is sending Mitchell a warning." Callen advised her.

"We've already asked him about threats, he says he's not received any before." Kensi turned and looked over at her partner and Mitchell chatting. "He was in shock over his employee's death. I don't think he's behind it,"

"Neither do we, Kens." Callen added. "This is a threat towards the company, it was a clean in and out shooting. Nothing was disturbed in the house, nor bothered to search out any other people in the house. We've taken the girlfriend to a safe house, just incase they return. Better warn Mitchell."

"Thanks, Callen. Will do." Kensi disconnected the call and returned to the couch.

"That was our team leader. He's said that they believe this is a terror cell sending you a warning. We suggest you tighten security to this building." Kensi told him.

Immediately Warren Mitchell pressed the button on the phone in front of them, on the coffee table. "Maya, please activate 'Code Amber'."

"On it, sir." Maya pressed in a sequence of numbers on her phone and retyped them a second time for confirmation.

The head of security phoned her desk immediately. "Is this a drill, Maya?"

"No, Phil, this is the real deal. I don't know what's occurred, the agent and detective are still in with Warren." A tightening in her stomach confirmed her worries over the situation. She tried to remain calm, but now that the situation that they had prepared for, for years had arrived, she was on edge.

"Thank you, Maya, we'll take over from here."

"What's Code Amber, Mr Mitchell?" Deeks was impressed by the processes this company had in place for such a situation, but was also curious over what the owner of the company had initiated.

"As part of the agreement with the Government, we set up protocols for all sorts of situations. This code, 'Amber', means that no member of staff will be allowed off the property until the threat has been resolved." Realisation hit the man before them. "I've got to call my wife, she was expecting me to meet her and our daughters for lunch. If you'll excuse me." Warren stood and walked over to his desk, to make the call.

_ Thanks for reading, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a review._


	2. Chapter 2

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Many thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for helping me with the anaphylaxis details in this chapter, who have experienced this with their own teenage daughter._

_Thank you to those you have left a review, it is much appreciated. To my guest reviewer, there is no list to add you onto, however, you can press to follow a story and alerts will be emailed through to you._

**Chapter 2**

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen and Sam were going over the data that Eric and Nell had procured on Mitchell Pharmaceuticals. Their contract with the US Government, all employees and past visits by the government to the company, to ensure that their highly sensitive materials remained in safe hands. Kensi and Deeks entered the former water treatment plant and joined the rest of the team.

"What do you think of the owner?" Callen asked them, as he tried to make sense of all the paperwork flooding his desk.

"He's a really nice guy." Kensi told him.

"The girlfriend said the same. All the government searches on Warren Mitchell before issuing him the contract for the work shows he's above board and clean. It's a family business, his father still runs the east coast operations, and he came here to set up the west coast extension.

Eric leaned over the railing from upstairs, "Guys, you've got to come and see this." All agents ran up the stairs, causing interest in Owen Granger to follow.

"The CIA just forwarded some chatter from a Serbian terrorist organisation, the Zivkovichs, they'd picked up only twenty minutes ago." They gave Nell their attention, their case just became a risk for national security. "This is what they found," she added it up onto the screen, "the owner of the company's name is mentioned." She looked straight at Callen. "Warren Mitchell. They think he's the next target."

Callen turned to Kensi and Deeks. "What's Mitchell done to ensure the safety of his staff, now you've told him about Fellowes?"

"He set in motion, 'Code Amber'." Deeks answered him. The rest of the team raise their brows at him for elaboration. "No staff are to leave the building until the threat is removed. He's a really switched on guy, comes across like he genuinely cares for his staff. He had to call his wife, they were meant to meet up for lunch with their daughters."

Callen furrowed his brow. "His family could be at risk too. What have you found on the wife and family?" He asked Eric and Nell.

They brought up details of the wife, Elise. Callen hitched his breath and froze when he looked at the image of Elise Mitchell. Her name escaped his lips. "Ellie."

Sam looked over to his partner, concerned over his reaction to her picture. "You know her, G?"

Callen turned to Sam. "She was my partner for 2 years when I worked at the Bureau."

"They have three daughters, but I cannot find any photos of them." Nell told him, awkwardly.

"Can you find out their names, ages and school that they attend? That might help in your search." Callen prodded, his concern for the Mitchell family grew, now that he knew the wife.

"Here we go, fifteen, twelve and ten." Nell furrowed her brow. "The eldest has a different surname, her name is Emily Summers."

The girl's surname and age caught Callen by surprise. His mind worked fast as memories from sixteen years earlier came flooding back.

"I've found some photos on the eldest from the school's website, the older two go to the Marlborough School." Nell brought the photos she'd found of Emily on the sport teams and the music ensemble, when they travelled and performed recently in New York. Dressed in the schools colour of purple, her blue eyes shone brightly from her sun drenched face and blonde hair, neatly braided off her face. She was taller than some of her peers and her smiling face on the large screen in Ops drew Callen in, mesmerised.

He knew who she was. There was no doubt doubt it. Her age, her surname, those eyes, her hair and facial features. A tear escaped his eyes, which he quickly wiped away. His team remained silent as they looked between their team leader and the girl on the screen. They saw it too and realised this was news for him. A daughter he never knew he had.

Sam moved forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She's beautiful, G."

Callen was lost for words, swallowing hard the lump in his throat. "I never knew, I haven't seen her since we got split up. For our last operation, we went undercover as Matthew and Alyssa Summers. It was about a month after that op, when I was sent abroad on assignment, but Elise remained behind. I never had the time to ask our boss why, I barely had time to pack. When I returned, I was told she'd been transferred, but no one would tell me where.

Callen had so many questions to ask Elise regarding Emily. He turned to Kensi. "Did Mitchell say where he was suppose to meet his family for lunch?"

"Yes, at Drago Centro."

Callen turned to his partner. "This changes everything, Sam. Until we know what the Serbians want with Mitchell Pharmaceuticals, we need to arrange protection for the family." He turned to Kensi and Deeks. "Help Eric and Nell with what they've found, the paperwork is on our desks, we're going to meet Mitchell's family for lunch."

"Is that wise, Agent Callen." Up to this point, Owen Granger had remained quiet.

Callen clenched his jaw in annoyance. "If anyone should be going, it should be Sam and I." He glared at Owen, threatening to go lone wolf, if he took him off this case. No one on his team should meet his daughter before he did. Anger radiated off him, as he walked out of Ops.

**_Drago Centro…_**

Alyssa's conversation with Warren had been brief and he'd left out the details on why he couldn't make lunch. She decided to keep their booking with their daughters, making the most of the last days of their summer vacation. They sat in a booth and ate their lunch. Elise smiled as Emily, Sally and Jean, chatted about One Direction, which guy they liked the most and about the boys they knew. A conversation they wouldn't have had, had Warren been there. It was a treasured moment for the four of them to have, away from the distractions of friends. "I'm just going to the bathroom." Alyssa headed out back to the bathroom, as Sam pulled his black challenger out front of the downtown restaurant. It was bursting with patrons, making the most of the last days of having their children around, before they headed back to school.

Callen and Sam entered Drago Centro and looked for Elise Mitchell and her daughters. They only knew what Emily looked like, so they hoped they found them. The lunch crowd was busy, so their search was more challenging. Callen stopped as he almost bumped into a woman, whose long brown hair hung low over her shoulders. His eyes widened as he realised it was Elise. The woman looked up surprised, as if she saw a ghost.

"Ellie?" Sam looked over at the woman who had caught his partner's attention.

The woman inhaled as shock overtook her. "Matt?"

Callen furrowed his brow briefly over her calling him by an old alias. It puzzled him why their alias, Summers, was used for their daughter's name. The woman before him knew his real identity, so he was confused over it and how she greeted him.

"You look great, it's been," Callen tried to remember how long it had been.

"sixteen years." She helped him out. "Thanks, you look good. Real good. Life must be kinder to you, these days."

"Thanks." He turned to Sam. "This is my partner, Agent Sam Hanna. Sam, this is Elise Stevens."

"It's Elise Mitchell, now, Matt. Has been for a long time. I haven't worked there since we got split up." She admitted, causing Callen to become curious over why. But knowing about Emily, he began to connect the dots to why they had been separated. _She must of told our boss, Jackson about her being pregnant. I wish she'd told me first._

"Mom!" A girl's cry out to her mom, caught Elise's attention. "Emily can't breathe." Panic spread across their faces as they ran over to their table. Another girl, a little older than the one who had cried out, was rummaging through a bag, looking for something.

Sam dialled 911 as Callen and Elise moved towards the teenager. "We need paramedics at Drago Centro at 525 S Flower St. He watched Elise take something from her other daughter and pressed it into her thigh. _Epipen. The girls has an anaphylaxis allergy._ "Female, fifteen years old, breathing difficulties from an allergic reaction to something she's eaten. Her mother's just administered the adrenaline."

Callen stood back as he watched Emily slowly begin to breathe again.

"Mom." Fifteen year old Emily looked at her Mom, as her breathing became easier.

"Don't talk sweetheart. Paramedics are on their way." Elise kept her eyes close on her daughter, as she saw the swelling around her throat and lips reduce a little. A red rash had appeared on her neck, but it didn't progress any further. Elise Mitchell wrapped her arms around her daughter, thankful she was breathing again. _What would we do without that epipen?_

The girl turned and looked at him, realising he was standing beside them. Callen looked at her familiar cerulean eyes, as surprise spread across her face. "Mom, you found him." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Callen furrowed his brow, his mind spinning. Seeing her picture up on the screen in ops was one thing, but to meet her now, hit him like nothing he'd ever expected. He'd witnessed her struggle to breathe and concluded like his partner that she had an anaphylaxis allergy to something in her food. "Matt, I'd like you to meet your daughter, Emily."

He looked from the girl back to Elise, his mind searching for memories from sixteen years earlier. Memories from their last case they'd worked together on. They'd been deep undercover for two months as Matthew and Alyssa Summers. He returned to face the girl. "Are you okay?" She nodded slightly.

Emily was still shaking from the allergic reaction, but managed a small smile at the man she'd been waiting as long as she could remember to meet. "Mom's been searching for you, forever."

The sound of the paramedics arrival interrupted the family reunion. Elise handed him her business card. "Call me later, Matt. We've got a lot to talk about." She met his gaze, concerned that he'd bolt and she'd lose track of him again.

Callen stepped back to allow the paramedics room to get to Emily. He turned and saw the look in Sam's eyes. Questions and concern on his daughter.

The paramedics helped her onto the stretcher, where they assessed her breathing, swelling and rash. One of them administered a second dose of adrenaline, seeing the severity of the allergic reaction. He turned to Elise and spoke calmly with her. "We'll be taking her to L.A. General. She'll need to be kept in for a few hours to ensure the swelling and rash have gone, before she can be released."

Elise nodded as she let go of Emily's hand. Sally and Jean wrapped their arms around their mom, the whole situation of Emily's allergic reaction had been intense and the worse they'd ever seen.

"Has this happened to Emily before?" Callen had yet to tell Elise about the threat on Warren.

Elise shook her head. "Not like this. But, if there is a trace of a cashew or pistachio in her food, the worst she'd get, would be her telling me she'd feel tingling on her lips and tongue. She'd stop eating and take an antihistamine. We've not had to administer the epipen since she was four."

Callen looked worriedly over to Sam, who also thought the same as him. "We need to collect her food for evidence." Sam nodded and swiftly made his way out to the challenger for an evidence bag. "Which plate was Emily's?"

"This one. What's going on here, Matt?" Elise pulled her daughters closer for security.

Callen looked at the girls and decided this was not something he really wanted them to hear, so he changed to Russian. "Мы не просто врезаться в вас, Elise. Мы приехали, чтобы взять вас и ваших дочерей в надежном месте. Там было осложнение на компании Уоррена." ["We didn't just bump into you, Elise. We came to take you and your daughters somewhere safe. There's been a complication at Warren's company."] Callen calmly told her.

"Какие осложнения?" ["What kind of complication?"] Sally and Jean looked up at their mother surprised that she could speak a foreign language other than Spanish and French. This language they had no idea what it was. All they understood was her name.

Callen sighed. "Питер Fellowes был застрелен в своем доме сегодня утром. Профессиональный успех, чистый выстрел в храме. Вот почему Уоррен не мог сделать обед. Они на блокировку." ["Peter Fellowes was shot dead in his home this morning. Professional hit, clean shot in the temple. That's why Warren couldn't make lunch. They're on lockdown."]

""Там более, что вы мне не говоришь, Мф. Что это такое? " ["There's more that you're not telling me, Matt. What is it?"] Fear was evident in her voice, causing her daughters to hold tighter onto her.

Callen smiled gently at the girls, picking up on their concerns. "It's okay, girls, we're here to keep you safe." He looked up at Elise, feelings he'd compartmentalised years earlier came flooding back. "My name is Matt," he decided to go along with Elise on his name for the moment, "what are your names?"

"I'm Sally." The older of the two girls answered, she had more confidence than her younger sister. "This is Jean."

He held out his hand to them. "Please to meet you, Sally and Jean." Both girls took his hand and shook it. They were curious about this man. They knew from the reaction of their older sister and what their mom had said, that he was Emily's real dad. But it appeared his meeting with them was no accident, and concern for what just happened to their sister grew within them.

Sam collected the evidence and nodded to his partner. "We're good to go." Callen looked to him and the bag of food in his hand.

"We need Sally and Jean to go with Sam, Elise. I'll take you to the hospital and when Emily's well enough, we'll meet up with them at a safe house." He turned to the girls. "Sam has a daughter around your ages, so he's used to having girls around. Can you help me help Emily and your Mom, by going with Sam?"

The girls looked unsure between Callen and their mom. Sam looked intimidating, but when he pulled out the photo of his daughter, they relaxed.

"What's her name?" Sally, the older of the two asked him.

Sam smiled. "Marley."

"Can we meet her?" Jean asked, finally finding the courage to speak to Sam.

"Sounds like a good idea. Shall we go?" Both girls nodded. Sam led them away and as soon as he was in the car, he dialled Michelle, to advise her that he was bringing home some friends for Marley.

Callen and Elise left the restaurant, after settling the check. The manager apologised profusely over the mix up of Emily's food and refused payment. "Keys?" He held his hand out, as Elise capitulated and handed them over to him. He started the engine and dialled his cell. "Eric."

Eric, Nell and Owen had watched on from Ops, of what had transpired at the restaurant. Eric stumbled on his words as he answered the seasoned agent, still in shock that Callen's fifteen year old daughter had almost died of an anaphylaxis reaction from something in her food. "Yeah, Callen?"

"I need a background check on all the staff on duty at Drago Centro. If Warren Mitchell is a target, so could his family. Something tells me that Emily's allergic reaction may have been deliberate. We've got the food she was eating in an evidence bag, and Sam's dropping if off at the lab before taking Sally and Jean to his house. They'll feel more comfortable there with Michelle and Marley."

"Nell, find out from Mitchell's secretary if anyone else inquired about Warren Mitchell in the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Schedules, his family, wanting to meet with him, any threats made in person to him."

"On it, Callen." Nell moved her chair to face the computer screen and typed away.

"Will do, Callen." Eric disconnected the call and saw the look on the Assistant Director's face. "He needs to do this, you know. He's gone for so long without any blood relatives, this means more to him, than anything in the world."

"I agree with you, Mr Beale. I just worry over Agent Callen being distracted due to his personal history with Elise Mitchell and finding out he has a daughter. He needs to be alert, ready to keep them safe at all costs." Owen Granger explained, taken aback that Eric stood up for Callen like he had. _The lad's growing balls, _a small smirk edged on his lips as he exited the tech filled room.

Eric sighed out, relieved that Granger had left. His hand shook from the nerves that rummaged though him after standing up for Callen like he had.

"Wow, Eric, you stood up against Granger. High Five!" Nell held out her hand to slap her partners, impressed with Eric's bravery. "There's hope to make you a field agent yet, Eric Beale."

"Um, no, please don't." Worry emerged in his eyes, "I prefer staying put, thank you."

Nell beamed, proud of her partner, just the same.

_Thanks for reading, love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	3. Chapter 3

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_Thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed, favourited and followed this story, so far._

**Chapter 3**

**_L.A. General Hospital…_**

The drive over to L.A. General Hospital was in silence as Elise gave Callen the space he needed to process what had transpired. Already that day, the news he'd had a daughter was overwhelming for him, who was used to being on his own and spent much of his life in search for his family. But to meet her in that way, to find her struggling to breathe had topped it off for G. Callen. Anger radiated from his body, as he tried to process the danger she lived with every day of her life. The threat of another anaphylaxis reaction. He saw the fear in Elise's eyes when they found her and he wondered just how many times this had already occurred. But his gut told him, there was something more behind this reaction. Someone with a known severe allergy, such as Emily's, would be well aware of ensuring that the food she ate was nut free. Her food had been tampered with, to deliberately put her life at risk. Callen clenched his jaw as he thought over all of his enemies and who could have possibly known about Emily being his daughter. He concluded, that if he had no knowledge of her, then his enemies didn't either. So he turned his mind back to Warren Mitchell and his company. The death of his employee, who he had become friends with, was a great concern. They had surmised that the family were also at risk, not just the other employees, therefore they had researched the Mitchell family out. That was when his world turned upside down. Not only did he know the wife, the eldest was his flesh and blood.

Callen pulled into a parking spot outside the entrance to the hospital. He turned and noticed Elise showed no sign of moving. "I'm sure Emily's fine, Ellie. Let's go and find her."

Elise nodded and stepped out of her navy SUV. "Matt?"

_Why did she use my alias? She knows the real me, in the restaurant, she only called me Matt and Emily's name is from our last case that we worked together on. What is she hiding from?_ "Ellie?" He needed answers that only she could provide, and although he understood that finding Emily and ensuring she was fine came first, he was determined to get the answers from her.

It didn't take long for them to find Emily in a curtained off cubicle with a young doctor who was attending to her. Her face brightened when she saw both of them together. The doctor, with dark wavy hair and black rimmed glasses had just completed his assessment of Emily. "I think you're doing fine, Miss Summers. Please don't give your parents here another scare like that again." He gave her a gentle smile, and spoke softly to her.

"I don't understand how this happened." Elise responded to the attending physician. "We've been so careful, this is the first reaction she's had since she was four. We always ask the staff whenever we eat out to ensure cashews or pistachios aren't in her food."

"We've sent the remainder of Emily's food off to our lab for analysis." Callen added, catching all of the doctor's attention.

"And who are you, may I ask?" The doctor studied Callen, as he showed his identification and nodded. "Thank you, Agent Callen. I'm sorry, I presumed she was your daughter,"

"she is." Callen responded, causing confusion on the doctor's face. "But I am also a federal agent and we're concerned this may be linked to a case my team and I are working on. How long will she be in here?"

Emily looked over at her mother, confused, when the doctor referred to her father as Agent Callen. Elise slightly tightened grip on her daughter's hand for reassurance, before looking back at him.

"We need to observe her recovery for a few more hours. Can we have a copy of the results for our records, incase something else shows up on the analysis?"

"Yes, of course." Callen nodded to the doctor, before turning to face Elise. He saw the awkwardness in her expression and realised the doctor had caught her out. When he looked over at Emily, he saw her confusion, but chose to ignore it for now. He turned his attention back to the doctor. "I need a list of all staff who will be attending Emily. Anyone not on that list cannot enter this cubicle."

"I understand your concern, Agent Callen. I will bring the list back to you shortly." The doctor turned and smiled warmly at Emily. "It looks like you've got your own knight in shining armour, Miss Summers. Your nurse, Rita, will be in soon to check up on you."

Emily nodded, turning her head in her mother's direction.

Elise furrowed her brow, not daring to look at her daughter, who looked to her for an explanation of what was going on.

Callen turned his attention back to Emily to explain. "There's been a threat towards the Mitchell Pharmaceuticals, which is why Warren couldn't make it for lunch. They're all on shutdown until the threat has been removed. But we are doing all that we can to resolve the situation."

"Can we talk outside for a moment, please?" Callen nodded, following Elise out into the hallway. With a lowered voice, Elise started with her questioning. "You still haven't told me the whole story, Matt."

"Can I ask you why you keep calling me that name, when you know who I really am?" Callen placed his hand on the wall beside Elise, not allowing her passage to get out of answering his question.

Ellie shook her head. "Not here. Please, I need to show you something first. Now what else is going on in this case?"

"The CIA picked up some chatter from a Serbian terrorist organisation, called the Zivkovichs. Warren's name was mentioned, which is why we think the whole family is at risk."

"You think this terrorist group is after the sensitive materials at the company?"

"We do."

"Not necessarily." She looked straight into his cerulean orbs with a seriousness that caught Callen's attention.

"What do you know, Ellie?"

"Not here. We'll go with you, to the safe house, when Emily is released and then I will tell you. But first, we need to stop off via our house. I need something important from there."

Callen nodded. "Okay."

When they returned, Emily had drifted off to sleep. The ordeal had worn her body out. Elise inspected her breathing and sighed with relief that the adrenaline was still working. She looked closely at her neck and was pleased it was almost back to normal size. The rash was still evident but had faded since the initial reaction.

The doctor returned with the nurse and a list for him. "The next shift will come before we release your daughter. This is the names of the staff who will attend to her once we finish our shift."

"Thank you, Doctor." Callen looked behind them and noticed his partner standing in the doorway. He excused himself as he walked over to Sam to talk with him. "Did they settle okay with Michelle and Marley?"

Sam smiled. "Yes, it was a good idea to take them there, G. Michelle's carrying, just in case there's any unwanted visitors, but we weren't followed, even though we stopped off at the lab on the way."

"Good. Can you stay with Emily, while I take Elise back to the house? She knows something and I think whatever it is, she has evidence back at the house. I need to take her there to get it." There was something in the way Elise responded to his theory that the company was the target, that had his synapses connecting old cases that they had worked on together, to pin point what she knew.

"Yeah, sure, G. You going to be okay?" Sam looked over at him with concern in his brown eyes. He knew this day had turned his life upside down, but was determined to stand by him all the way.

"I will be, once they're safe." He nodded over to the cubicle where his former partner and daughter were.

Callen walked back into the cubicle and explained to Elise that he was taking her back to the house to gather whatever it was she had, that she mentioned earlier. "She's asleep, Ellie. She probably won't even know we've gone. Sam will keep her safe, I trust him with my own life."

"Okay." Elise gently kissed Emily's forehead before following Callen out the door.

Callen passed the list over to Sam. "Only people allowed near Emily are on this list."

"I'll keep her safe, G."

"Thanks, Sam."

Callen and Elise exited the hospital and headed for the car. As Callen drove, she gave him the instructions to their house and studied him. "Did you know about Emily before I told you at the restaurant?"

"Yes. Until I saw your photo up on the screen, I had no idea you were involved in this." He stopped at a set of lights and looked at her. "We struggled to find photos of your daughters, but once we had names, we found Emily's on the school's website." Callen paused in talking and pulled away, following her directions until he turned into their driveway. He stared at the rather large high gabled red brick home and breathed out heavily. "Wow, Ellie, this is some house."

"I told you about Warren, do you remember?" Elise faced him, still sitting in her SUV.

"I do. You were childhood sweethearts. Your parents pushed the two of you together since you were kids. But you wanted something more than the riches of high society and left to work at the Bureau." He remembered every conversation they'd had, when they were partners. Especially the ones about Warren. The tall blond, who all the girls in High School had been besotted with, but only had eyes for her. Yet she walked away from it all, because she had told him, that she needed to know if it was what she wanted. Now he knew she had returned home to New York and gotten back with Warren and played happy families with his daughter. Anger bubbled to the surface, as he got out of the car. He scanned the area, following her to the back door. As she opened the door to the family room, he checked the house out for any intruders. Satisfied the house was secure, he allowed her to collect what they came for. He followed her up the walnut wooden staircase, glancing at family photos as he did. Smiles on all of their faces, they the typical happy family. He felt a pang of jealousy, wishing it had been him whom she had married and not her childhood sweetheart. But when he saw how happy Emily was, he was thankful Elise hadn't. With all the enemies seeking him out, such as Janvier and the Comescus, he was glad now that Elise had used an alias as Emily's father. What kind of life would Emily of had, with the line of work he did? It wouldn't be anything worth smiling about. Nor could he have provided such luxury in a form of a house, his own abode looked to be about the size of the pool house. Then there was the education, with Mitchell, Emily was receiving the best at the Marlborough School.

"Here it is." Elise held a rather large box in her hand and Callen offered to carry it for her, but she only shook her head. "I can manage."

He noticed the large bedrooms on the first floor and wondered which one was Emily's. As if reading his thoughts, Elise placed the box down and opened a door. Inside was a typical teenager's bedroom, stereo, magazines, books, posters of famous people, and a boy band with One Direction written in one corner. He raised his brow at the hair cuts and clothing the guys were wearing and wondered what any girl saw in them. He was very much out of the loop when it came to teenagers, let alone being the father of one. He couldn't even ask Sam about it, seeing Marley wasn't a teenager yet. A surf board stood in the corner and a smile appeared on his face. Finally, he found something he could do with her. Surf. He might not be a good as Deeks or Eric, but he could catch waves.

"Do you surf, G?" He turned and was surprised she used his real name now.

"Some." He tilted his head slightly to the side. "There's so much to learn about teenagers, what they like, what's cool, what she does for fun, etc."

"Emily is easy to get to know, G. She'll guide you gently, don't worry. She's been waiting all of her life to meet you."

"But she doesn't know anything about me, nor me her. You call me by an old alias I've not used in sixteen years, you give her our family name from that time, I'm at a lost as to why, Ellie."

"I know you deserve to have your answers, G. There's so much to tell you. The best is for us to go somewhere safe and for me to start at the beginning. I know Emily will want to know why you're Agent Callen and not Summers, for starters." Elise picked up the box and headed for the stairs. Callen stood a moment longer and absorbed the details of his daughter. Photos of her with friends sat in photo frames on her desk and shelving. The colour aqua, orange and yellow splashed about the room in accessories against the white furniture and walls. A violin rested on the stand with music opened to the last piece she had played. As he stepped forward towards it, he noticed something on a box, on the other side of her bed. A smirk appeared on his face at the small chessboard, out on display, obviously she was in the middle of a game with someone. He looked behind him and found Elise had returned, watching him. "She takes after you in more ways than I ever thought." Elise stepped towards him. "She asked me to teach her how to play chess at the age of eight. It threw me, it had been a long time since I had played," she looked up at him, "since we lived together as Alyssa and Matt."

Callen licked his lips, as nerves tingled through his body. He was in a whole new situation that he'd never found himself in before. Fatherhood scared him and it was something he'd never thought he'd get to experience, let alone find himself father to a fifteen year old.

"She loves the game and I find her in here often playing with a friend. The rest of the time, she loves being outdoors, swimming and playing sport with friends. She's got a lot of get up and go about her, G. She smart, is learning French and Spanish at school and has asked if she can learn a third language. She definitely gets that gift from you."

"What language would she like to learn?" Elise laughed, realising that he was offering to teach her.

"Whatever you'd like to teach her, G. I know she'd excel, she is your daughter after all."

"She's our daughter, Ellie." He stepped closer to her. "Why did you just leave like you did? I never got to say goodbye, or find out why we were split up."

Ellie wrapped her arms around herself. "My parents came to visit and found me ill with morning sickness. It didn't take my mother long to put the pieces together. They made me head home with them." A tear escaped her eyes and she quickly wiped it away. "They always wanted me and Warren to marry, however, me being pregnant to someone other than Warren was not what they had planned for me." She looked down at her feet, as her body shook from the emotion from sixteen years earlier, that had resurfaced.

Callen lifted her chin, making her look at him. "You could have left me a note, Ellie. A letter? Sixteen years is a long time to find out we had a daughter together." His voice raised as his own emotions got hold of him.

"I know, G. I'm sorry. I've spent so much time trying to find you. Warren has been good about that. He understood the need to find you to tell you about Emily. But until I could get away from the hold of my parents, I couldn't get word out to you."

Callen suddenly returned to his senses, realising they had spent too much time already at the house. "We need to get out of here, before we have company." Elise nodded and they descended the stairs. He led her out the back door, past the swimming pool, to the garage. They climbed into the SUV and exited the property. He scanned the area as they left, looking at the mirrors for a tail. He picked up on a black Mercedes driving two cars back. "We've got a tail, hang on." Callen quickly turned the corner, tyres screeching as he sped up side streets. The Mercedes followed, but Callen managed to turn again and further the distance. He went up the ramp onto the Santa Monica Freeway, distancing themselves even further. He pulled off before the Mercedes got wind of them. He moved through the streets and made numerous turns before he was satisfied they were in the clear. He headed west for the coast and the boat shed. They needed some privacy for this conversation.

_Thanks for reading, please leave a review._


	4. Chapter 4

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, I am enjoying reading your thoughts on this story. To my guest reviewer, in life, patience is required for what we want to happen to occur. There's a lot going on, but Nallen will come._

**Chapter 4**

**_The Boat Shed…_**

Elise carried the box as she followed Callen into the boat shed. She placed it on the table and looked over to him. "Is there somewhere where we can talk?"

Callen led her into one of their interrogation rooms and closed the door behind him. He watched her scan the room and look up at the camera. She carried a chair over to the camera, standing upon it to disconnect the feed to Ops. She worked her hand under the desk till she found the mic and switched it off. "You finished?" Callen raised his eyes in wonder as Agent Stevens returned before him.

"I haven't even started yet." She pressed in the code on the lock that was strapped over the box and lifted the lid. "You better sit." She pointed to the chair on the opposite side to where he normally sat and was thrown by it. He hesitated and she noticed. "Don't tell me you're afraid to sit on the suspect's side of the table? Not the infamous G. Callen." A smile edge her lips as he sat down, satisfied that he had capitulated. She was in control now, not him. She pulled a rather large and bulky yellow envelope out of the box, which she then placed on the floor. She opened the envelope and pulled out a much smaller white one, sealed. "This is for you." She handed it to him and sat down quietly, observing him.

Callen looked at the writing on the envelope. A person's handwriting with the words, G. Callen. He furrowed his brow, curious as to why Elise had an envelope addressed to him in her possession. He slip it open with his pointer finger and pulled the letter out. He opened it and started reading the letter.

"_My dear son,_

_If you are reading this letter, then Elise has finally found you. I have updated this over the years on her request, in hope that she will one day find you and tell you about your daughter, Emily. I know you have many questions for her and for me, but you must first promise me not to be angry with either of us. So much has happened that has kept me from you, when you needed me. I am sorry, for all that you've suffered. Being separated from family, when you were so young. But now you are a man, and I know you have become a good man, one that I am proud of. Let me start at the beginning. _

_My real name is John Summers. I am a British citizen and was employed by MI6, out of London on many undercover assignments in mainland Europe in the late fifties and early sixties. I was seconded to the CIA into Russia as a KGB Major, Nikita Alexander Reznikov, due to my flawless Russian. It was then I met your mother, Clara, we worked together in bringing down crime families in Eastern Europe, for peace across the continent. Between Russian, Ukraine, Romania, Czechoslovakia, France and Eastern Germany, we roamed to infiltrate these crime families and end them for good. We succeeded for a few years and we worked well together, your mother and I. She was brilliant and I fell in love with her. I knew she was Romanian by birth, but we didn't know about the family blood feud with the Comescus until it was too late. When word came to me about the death threat on your mother, I sent someone to fetch the three of you. He was a few hours late, finding you and Amy hiding amongst some disused warehouses a few blocks away from the beach. _

_Amy was a good sister to you, always looking out for her baby brother. This man who found you, was a Russian, who I could trust. He helped me get people out of Eastern Germany across to America. But he could not stay and left you with your grandmother, Elena Callen. I had expected you both to remain with her until I could come for you and bring you home to England, but I had troubles of my own. I was arrested and sent to prison in Siberia. The years I spent there were harsh, but the hope in seeing my two children, kept me going. When I escaped, thanks to help from my government, they demanded that I remain on home soil, until all enemies from my last operation were gone. I tried to get to America, but my passport was taken from me and all hope of finding you and your sister seemed to fall from my grasp. _

_Eventually I managed to head over to Ireland, where a colleague forged papers and a passport with a new alias that was created. I flew out of Dublin to Washington D. C., but I couldn't find you. Your grandmother had died and you and your sister were lost in the welfare system. I had a man who I had helped escape Germany look out for you, while I was unable to come to you, but I couldn't find him either. Every resource I could use, I tried, until word came to me about your sister. I was so happy to have found her, I travelled west to Los Angeles. When I met her, I realised she was not my daughter. The girl, seventeen by then, admitted to me who she really was and told me that Amy had drowned when she was eleven. My heart tore at this news and hurt more than I could bare. My sweet beautiful daughter, lost forever. Yet it gave me a determination to find you. I searched in every city of America and finally I found you. You were living in D.C. and had become a man. You were working at the Bureau and partnered with Elise. I watched you from a distance, unsure how you would take to me returning to your life after so long being apart from you. I saw how distant you were to the people around you, but for some unknown reason, you let Elise in. With help from a contact, I hacked into the Bureau's computer system and discovered that the two of you were going undercover as husband and wife. I saw the new aliases they were going to issue, Mark and Alyssa Sumner. I couldn't believe my eyes. So close to your real name. So I made some changes so your alias was your real name. Even if it was for a few months, I wanted you to live the real you, Mathew Summers. I watched on as the two of you settled into your new house and acted as husband and wife. But what I saw was the two of you fall in love. It brought back memories of your mother and I, and I was so happy for you. _

_But before long the operation was over and you returned to your old lives. You vanished and I couldn't find you anywhere. I had missed my opportunity to reunite with you. I followed Elise to New York and saw her with a different man. Her belly grew and I knew she was expecting your child. One day in a park, the man was distracted on a business call, so I sat at the opposite end of the bench seat to Elise. It was then I admitted to her that I was your father and that I knew that the child was yours. I told her that it wasn't safe for the child to carry the Callen name, for since then I heard about the blood feud with the Comescus. I gave her your birth certificate and asked for the baby to carry our real family name, Summers. Elise held her end of the bargain when Emily was born and promised me she would search you out. I knew she loved you, but her parents forced her into a marriage they wanted, not what she chose, although Warren is a good man. He's loved her, knowing she loved you and has helped her find you. But you had become a ghost and were no where to be found. He's loved Emily as if she was his own flesh and blood and I respect him for that. He's given Emily a life free from danger that has haunted our family for three generations already. I am grateful to Warren for what he has done for my granddaughter, and I hope you will see that too. _

_They have allowed for me to keep in contact with Emily over the years. Elise gave me a key to their house and I come and go when I please. Emily and I love to play chess, the game you and I loved to play when you were small. She reminds me of you in many ways, but looks the spitting image of your sister. I hope it's not too late for you to get to know Emily, she's a wonderful girl in so many ways. We talk about you and she's been eager to meet you for as long as she can remember. I hope you take this opportunity to be the father to her, you deserve to have family in your life. I hope you can someday forgive me for not being there and not taking the one opportunity to be in yours. But I still have to hide from enemies of my past. I have a list of them, which Elise will give you. If ever you or Emily are in danger, you need to know who the enemies are. Elise has all the information she keeps locked up in a box for you._

_All my love,_

_Your Father x"_

Tears fell freely down his face as he read the letter from his father. The one person he'd been seeking out, since he knew there was a chance he was still alive. The proof was in his hands. Not only that he was alive, but his father's real name and that of his own. He now understood why Elise called him Matt. She knew who he really was and wanted to call him by his real name, even before he knew what it was. He looked up at Elise, trying to grasp all that was written in the letter. "What…what's he like?" He struggled to put words together, with the emotion that ravaged through his body.

"He's a good man. Kind, funny, with a lot of love to give." She gave him a warm smile as she spoke of John Summers. "He's desperate to see you. Like we've all been. He's missed out on most of your life, Matt." She tested the waters again, with his real name.

"That's why you called me Matt, and why Emily carries the Summers' name. I thought you were ashamed that I didn't have a real name to tell our daughter," he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, "that I wasn't good enough."

Elise moved out of the chair, over to him and leaned on the table. She placed both hands on his shoulders for comfort. "Never say you are not worthy, Matthew Summers. You are worth far more than your life has given you."

He looked up at her and saw the strength he remembered her to possess, from when they were partners. They were the best years of his adult life, before coming to work at NCIS. "You were always kind to me, Ellie. I never deserved any of it."

"Humph! There you go again." She shook her head. "Why is it that you don't see yourself worthy, Matt?"

He shrugged. "I suppose not having a family growing up, no one to love me and give me that sense of worth."

She knew his story, he'd told her when they became partners, although at the time, Callen wondered why he was telling her any of it. He'd kept it closed up inside, all that had happened to him all those years ago. But there was something special about Elise that had him unravel all the neglect, loneliness and abuse in the welfare system. She in turn told him what life was like growing up in a wealthy family in New York, where her whole life was planned out for her. They had grown up with the opposite spectrums. He had no one, she was smothered. Somehow, the need for somewhere in-between for the both of them had forged a closeness between the two partners. They worked well together and fell in love. It was unlike any relationship Callen had ever experienced with anyone before. But before he knew it, it was pulled from him and he was thrown into another operation off shore with a new alias. He shook his head as he realised Matthew Summers was the one alias he loved the most. The fond memories he still had of that time living with Elise as Alyssa were happy, although they were working. It had been successful and he'd felt a pang of regret that the operation hadn't been long enough.

"Even now? Do you feel that you're not worthy of being loved?" She still cared for him and never stopped loving him, after sixteen years of being apart. But she had to put her feelings for him to the side for her marriage with Warren, who had been the kindest man to her. Taking on another man's child and a woman who loved her father. She'd gone through the same processes of feeling not worthy of Warren's love, but he'd shown her that she deserved it. Now she had to show Callen that he was worthy to be loved, even if she couldn't love him the way she wanted to. She was willing to give him free access to their daughter, for them to forge a close father-daughter relationship that both deserved and had waited too long for. It was something she'd prayed for, for so long and knew she had Warren's support on this.

"Sam's been kicking it out of me, since we've been partners." He admitted, with a wry grin.

"How long have you been working together?"

"Seven years, coming onto eight." He shook his head in amazement. "The longest I've had one partner. And he's a persistent one to make sure I don't get myself killed."

"I'm glad, Matt, I really am." She returned to the chair and pulled something else out. "This is yours. You can change your drivers licence and passport to your real name with this."

Callen carefully opened the folder that held his birth certificate protectively in a plastic sleeve. He studied it and noticed his name, Matthew George Summers. His date of birth was the same as the G. Callen birth certificate had, and he wondered how that one came about, if this was his real one. His place of birth stated Sainte-Maxime, France, although he knew he lived in Romania for a while. "I was born in France?"

"Apparently so." She was pleased he was getting the answers to who he was after so long searching. "Your parents were hiding from some enemies, and based themselves in a small town called St Tropez, on the south coast. Your parents took you to the white sands at Salagrue, where you would spend the day building sandcastles. But you moved when you were five to Romania, which is where your mother was killed."

"I remembered a few years ago." He caught her attention with this news. "We went to Prague to rescue our boss, and found that she had been moved to a beach house in Romania. That was when I found out about the Comescus and the blood feud that they had with my mother's family. I remembered a man giving me a toy soldier on the beach, right before they killed my Mom."

"You've been to Romania?" Concern for his safety grew within her. "What happened?"

"We rescued her, killed many of the Comescu family and got the hell out of there. But I came across more of them since. So far the Callens are winning. The Comescus are running out of members to run the family's crime organisation and haven't returned to finish me off, since they killed Michael Rhinehart." His smile disappeared, thinking of the old man, whom the Comescus killed, thinking he was his father.

"Michael Rhinehart?" She didn't know this name and was curious who he was.

"Hans Shrieber, one of the people my Father helped escape Eastern Germany. He kept an eye out for me over the years for him. Then Vasile Comescu believed him to be Nikita Alexander Reznikov, my Father." He breathed deeply, trying to rein in his emotions. "But I found out he couldn't be my Father and discovered who he really was. He told me just before he died, 'The debt is paid.' He died, leaving the Comescus to believe they had my Father. That happened a year ago, the first sign of finding out who my Father was. But now I find out it was an alias and he's British."

"I'm sorry, Matt, that life has not been kind to you." She placed her hand over his, hoping to reassure him that life would improve for him, now she had found him.

"He says in the letter, there's a list of enemies, incase either one of us were in danger. Do you have it there?" He pointed to the yellow envelope, she placed in front of her.

She nodded. "I do." She pulled out a little black book and handed it over to him.

Callen flipped through the pages with names and dates and why they were a threat to his father and any family he had. Many names he'd heard over the years but hadn't dealt with them, until he found one that sent shivers down his spine. It was dated November 12, 1973.

_"Marcel Janvier, a known French arms dealer, was lured into a false sense of security, when he found me and my son playing a game of chess. My son was only four and a half, but had mastered the game well. Janvier was a target, while we lived in France. A citizen of Leon, we knew he was visiting St Tropez to make a deal for some illegal weapons he'd procured. As a cover, I sat by the marina playing chess when he approached. Amused to see such a small boy play the game, he asked if he could play my son. His pride was hurt when my son beat him. He cursed in French that one day he would play him again, but next time the pieces would be the people he cared about. Fear for this man grew within me, especially when he discovered my son was the son of Clara Callen. Her identity had been burned by the Comescus and now I know why. He'd told them after his business dealings intermingled with the Romanian crime family, who she really was." _

"You recognise a name in there?"

Callen looked up from the little black book. "Yes." Elise furrowed her brow as she saw the fear in his eyes. "It says in here I met him when I was four and a half. I was playing chess with my Father, when he approached and asked to play him. I never knew why he played the game using people I cared about until now. What kind of man would threaten a four year old because his pride was hurt? He's tried to kill Sam and other members of my team. He's managed to kill two, one who was a good friend. And it says in here that he burned my Mother to the Comescus."

"Where is he now?"

"In prison for three life sentences."

"Good. Any others?"

He wiped his face as fear for his and Emily's safety grew within him. He scanned the pages and paused, catching another name. Not familiar like Janvier, but one he'd heard a few hours earlier. "This one. The CIA sent some chatter they picked up from a Serbian terrorist group, the Zivkovichs. It says they've been after my Father for forty years. I thought they were after Mitchell Pharmaceuticals, but they're after Emily. They've worked out that she's his granddaughter."

_Thanks for your continued support. Love to know what you think. Please leave a review._


	5. Chapter 5

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your continued support and reviews, they are much appreciated._

**Chapter 5 **

Fear for their daughter was etched in their faces, when Sam called. "Granger wants a conference call with us. Eric and Nell have found some more information."

"So have we. We've got this wrong, Sam. This has nothing to do with the company, this all has to do with my Father." He exited to the main area of the boat shed and stood in front of the screen. He took a photograph of the page about the Serbian organisation. "They've been after my Father for forty years. They've worked out Emily is his granddaughter."

"Until we're certain, we can't risk any more employees of the company being killed. Also, we can't forget it was Warren's name mentioned in the chatter and the CIA think he's their next target." Sam tried to make him still look at all angles, worried his personal feelings were clouding his judgement.

"They'll stop at nothing to get to Emily, Sam. We need to get Warren out of the company and bring him here. Together we can help them. We were followed leaving the house. I lost them, but we cannot let them find Emily. We've phoned Eric with the details of the car, I'm hoping that he's found out who they are."

Sam nodded. "Let's update the others." Callen and Sam dialled into Ops for the conference call.

Callen had left Elise alone in the room to think over what was going on. She pulled a burn phone out of the box and made a call. "I've found him." Her body shook with nerves.

"You have? Does he know about Emily?" Nerves of excitement over Elise finding Callen was evident in his voice.

"We have a problem. One of your enemies, the Zivkovichs are after Warren. Matt and I both think it's them trying to get to Emily."

"Are you sure it's not to do with his company, he deals with highly sensitive materials?"

"Emily suffered a severe anaphylaxis reaction at lunch, John. Matt's partner has sent the remainder of her food to the lab, I had to give her a dose of adrenaline and the paramedics took her to the hospital. She's still there being treated. How's that for meeting your daughter for the first time?" Emotion escaped as she spoke. She wiped tears from her face, as worry over Emily's safety bore at the forefront of her mind.

"Is she okay?" The guilt over his enemies putting his own granddaughter's life at risk, hung heavily on his shoulders.

"She is now. But it was scary, John. I don't know if I can handle another episode like that one. I'm not talking about any ordinary reaction, John. Whatever was put in her food was highly toxic to her. Not just a mild dose of cross contamination where her lips tingled. She was struggling to breathe until I injected the epipen into her."

"Where are you now?"

"I don't know, some safe house Matt brought me too. Somewhere by a marina, that I could see. He took so many turns, it made my head spin, all because we were followed when we left the house. We went there to get the box." Elise paused before she continued. "He's read your letter, John."

"How did he take it?" John wished he had been there when his son read the letter.

"All of this is pretty huge for him, you know. Not only to see me again, but to find out we have a fifteen year old daughter and that I have all the answers he's been searching for all of his life. He couldn't understand why Emily had the family name of the alias' we last worked together on, nor why I called him Matt. Your letter has explained it to him, of course, but I can see he has so many more questions. He still doesn't see himself worthy to be loved. It's hard, because he deserves so much more than he's been given." Her voice choked with emotion, as she stumbled over her words. "He asked me what you were like. I know he'll want to see you. But this threat, it's put him on edge. He won't stop until the threat has been terminated. He'll risk his own life to protect everyone, that I don't doubt."

"I need to see him, before he gets himself killed. Does he have a partner who can work with him on this? I don't want him going lone wolf like I used to do."

"Sam's a good man, from what I can see. He works for NCIS now, and he's working for a good team. They've been partners for over seven years. That's the longest he's been partnered up with someone." She took a deep breath. "There's something else I've found out."

"What's that, Elise?"

"Matt's been to Romania, and killed most of the Comescus. He said they've encountered some more, but so far the Callens are winning the battle." She smiled a little, thinking how good that must make him feel, in being able to take revenge on the family who killed his mother.

"He's what?" Fear rippled through John's body at the thought of his son being in such danger.

"He went into rescue his boss."

"Whose his boss?" He asked curiously.

"He never said her name."

"So it's a she? See if you can find out her name." Somehow, John had a niggling that a person from his past, an old friend was at play in keeping his son safe for all of these years.

"Will do. I've only heard Sam mention someone called Granger. Ring any bells?"

"Yes, Owen Granger. Used to work for the CIA. He was a good friend of Clara's. He used to work with a woman who was Clara's handler. Hetty Lange. I have a feeling she's the woman Matthew told you about. I wouldn't put it past her, if she's been keeping a close eye on my son, for Clara's sake. It would explain why Matthew went to Romania to rescue her from the Comescus."

"Matt told me he remembered his Mother being shot on the beach, when he went there. He's starting to remember things." She looked at the door to see if Matt was going to return while she was on the phone to his father. "Are you nearby?"

"I can be in an hour, tell him I can meet him underneath the Santa Monica Pier." He checked his watch for the time and headed out the door.

"I'll tell him. Stay safe."

"Will do. You too. Keep Em safe and Matt from doing anything stupid. I want to see him alive."

"Deal." Elise disconnected the call, when the door opened. Feeling like she'd been caught in the act, guilt flashed across her face.

"What's that?" Callen moved forward, his trust issues being tested again.

"A burn phone. You Father will meet you under Santa Monica Pier in," she looked at her watch, "fifty-nine minutes."

Callen quickly looked at his watch and pressed a timer for the time to meet with his father. His heart skipped a beat as a thrill of nerves and excitement had him experience a variety of feelings: anticipation, joy, nervousness and anger. He knew his father had tried to find him, it was all explained clearly in the letter, but he still couldn't help the betrayal of being left alone.

"You waited till I left the room to call him?" His voice raised as he tackled Elise on the subject.

"I didn't wait, Matt, you left and I thought I should call him. He's been waiting a long time to see you again."

"He had his chance sixteen years ago and played with my life, altering my alias to my real name. What kind of man would do that?" He turned and walked to the corner, near the door. He spun around and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Someone who loves you more than life itself."

"Yeah right. Tell the next guy that when he walks into the room. Perhaps they might believe you." Anger raged through him. He was annoyed with himself for losing it, but now his patience had run out. He was sick of people keeping secrets from him.

"You used to believe me, Matt. You trusted me with your life story,"

"stop!" Callen stepped forward. "I don't need you to remind me how I made the mistake of trusting you."

Elise looked down at her hands, clasped together on the table. She knew he had every right to hate her, after leaving like she had, but at the time, she was a wreck. She was ill with morning sickness and needed to be cared for. Her parents took over her life at a time she couldn't fight back. But now was not the time for them to argue. She needed him to focus, to keep their daughter safe. She looked over to where he stood with tears in her eyes. It broke her to see him like this. She shook her head. "You may not see it, Matt, but it was I who kept your secrets close to my heart for all of these years. It was I who persisted with your Father to collect everything in that box for you." She stood and lifted the box up off the floor and took it over to where he stood. "In here is everything you need to know. Who you are, your family and about your daughter. Our daughter." She dropped it in his arms and walked out the door. As she closed the door, she collapsed onto the wall in tears. Her heart was breaking, with what all of this was doing to him.

Callen sat in the middle of the room and opened the lid. He lifted out a photo album that looked as old as he was. As he turned the pages, tears fell down his cheeks. He touched the faces in the photos, memories that he'd forgotten, came flooding back. His family all together, laughing. He saw the photos of him and Amy on the white sandy beaches of Salagrue and remembered the clear crystal waters and thought it was the most magical place. It was soon after when that photo had been taken when they moved to Romania. He still loved his time on the beach, although the water was much cooler. He would play in the sand, no matter what the weather. He loved building sandcastles and creating magical creatures that lived in the caves below the castle. He was in a world of his own and loved every minute. Amy would play with him whenever she wasn't in school. She would read to him and lead him away to another place. Both children picked up the local language quickly and adapted to their new surroundings, unaware of the danger that loomed nearby.

He saw baby photos of him up to the age of five, some alone, some with Amy, or his mother or father and in some, they were all together. The one thing that was constant, were their happy faces. He pulled out a photo book, much newer, with the name Emily Grace Summers, printed on the front. The photo on the front of the book was of a four year old, dressed up as a fairy. Her blue eyes shone through all the pink that she wore, her blonde hair glistened in the sunlight. He traced her face with his finger, memorising her at that age. Slowly he opened the cover and saw baby photos. Elise were in some, in others, she was on her own. As he turned the page, he paused as he saw a man holding her. He studied the man and realised who it was. "Perè." He choked back a sob, knowing his father had been there for his daughter from the word go, through fifteen years of her life, yet he'd been excluded. Feelings of rejection filled his mind, as he quickly closed the book and placed it inside the box. He wiped the tears from his face and looked at his watch. He had just enough time to meet his father at the given time. As he stepped out of the room, he found Elise alone on the couch. Nell entered at that moment.

"Are you okay, Callen?" Callen looked over briefly to Elise before bringing his attention back to their Intelligence Analyst.

"I need to meet someone. Elise has arranged it at a set time. If you need me, call me." Callen stepped away to leave.

"Are you sure it's safe for you go alone?" Concern for him was evident in her hazel eyes.

"Yes, Nell. This one I need to go it alone. Look after her for me." Nell relented when she saw the plea in his red and puffy eyes. She could see he had been crying and wondered what had happened for him to cry. She nodded and let him go.

**_Santa Monica Pier…_**

The sun was moving west over the Pacific Ocean, exuberayting a bright yellow glow over the water. Callen exited Elise's SUV, the only vehicle he had on him to drive, seeing his was parked a few blocks away at the mission. He stepped onto the sand and memories of happier times returned. He saw children play with parents looking on as they built sandcastles or played with a ball. He smiled at them as he walked past, heading for the pier. He scanned around his surroundings for danger, before he entered the shadows of the one hundred year old double pier construction. It stretched out past the breakers to deep waters, creating the illusion of a place of safety. But many had been battered if caught underneath, pushed by the power of the waves onto the pylons. The beach section had become a place of recluse for the homeless over the years, particularly when it rained. But today is was empty, except for a single figure, half way between each end. The figure turned and watched him walk towards him. Callen paused as he met with the man's matching blue eyes. He took another few steps, unsure on what to do. He crossed his arms over his chest, in his usual defence mode.

"Hello, son." John walked the remaining steps towards Callen, knowing how difficult this was for him. It was hard for him too, after so long apart. Father and son, who used to be close, were now strangers.

Callen remained on his spot, his mouth remained closed lipped. His breathing became heavy as he waited for his father to talk with him.

"I'm sorry. I know there isn't anything I can say or do now that can make the past go away and heal you. But I'm here now." John saw his son's body screaming to keep his distance, but he couldn't now. It had been thirty-nine years since he'd held his son, it was time he did it again. He took the final step and wrapped his arms around him.

Callen's body tensed as he felt his father hug him. He was torn between hugging him back and punching him hard. Instead he remained closed up from him.

John stepped back and studied him. "Your Mother would be proud of the man you've become. A Federal Agent for her country, like she had been." John's English accent remained strong although he'd lived in the US for sixteen years searching for his son, since he'd lost him again. He'd been there longer before, searching for him. He'd spent most of his life either hiding or searching for his children, than living a normal life after his government had retired him from service. He had been burned in Russia, therefore he was no good for their use again. The CIA had stuffed up, but he was the one who suffered. He'd lost the love of his life and his children to boot. "I've been searching for you, Matthew. You've been a hard one to locate."

"I've been here all along. Alone. Unloved. Abused. Made to feel unworthy. Yet you managed to find the love of my life and enter it without hesitation. I saw the photo of you holding Emily as a baby. You were happy, holding her. Your granddaughter. You said in your letter that you come and go as you please into Emily's life and play chess with her. Playing happy families, while I search for you. For anyone who I meant something to. But now I know I was right. The foster parents were right, when they said I was no good. Because I couldn't warn my Mother about the danger, or prevent her from being killed. But you shouldn't worry, I killed most of the Comescus, me and my team. And any who survived and came looking for me, I killed them too. And I will kill every last enemy in your little black book, so you can spend more time with your granddaughter." His breathing hitched and his jaw clenched, as he tried to rein in the anger and betrayal that surged through his body.

"No, no, no, no. Matthew, my dearest son. You've got it wrong." John stepped forward again and made him look at him. "Look at me, son. Look at me."

Callen lifted his eyes and met his father's matching cerulean orbs. He had waited for this moment for so long. Thirty-nine years was a long time to reunite with his father.

"I have loved you every moment of your life. I have tried for thirty-nine years to find you. I know I stuffed up sixteen years ago, when I had a chance to reunite with you. But I have paid the price for that mistake. I have not rested a single day without looking for you. You must understand. Spending time with Emily was the least I could do for you. Neither Elise or I could find you, you disappeared off the face of the earth. Emily was all I had of you left. If you couldn't be in your daughter's life, I sure as hell was going to be there. So when we did find you, she would know you and love you like I love you."

Callen gave a cynical laugh, thinking if Emily was expected to love him the same as his father, then he had no hope of ever building a relationship with her. She too would desert him, like everyone else in his family. "Well I better walk away from Emily now, then, before she leaves me too." He stepped away, wondering why he was even there.

John grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't go."

Callen hesitated as he heard his father's plea. His chest hurt, the pain was strong as his heart pounded in his chest. He fell onto his knees on the sand and broke. The sounding of the waves that normally soothed him, had no effect. He felt strong arms hold him, but he refused to turn to him for comfort. He was used to being alone, with only himself to rely on. Too many people had deserted him, during his life. He couldn't succumb to the small boy inside of him to capitulate and allow his barriers around his heart to fall, for his father.

"I love you, son. I have always loved you." John's voice quavered from emotion, as he tried to soothe his son. He saw the pain in his eyes when he made him look at him. Guilt washed over him, he had failed his son. He may have grown up to a good man, but the hurt he'd suffered as a boy, still damaged him. He rubbed his hand up and down his arms and across his back. His son, whom he was so proud of. Strong, handsome with a good heart.

_Thank you for your continued support. Reviews are always welcomed._


	6. Chapter 6

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

**Chapter 6**

**_Santa Monica Pier…_**

Callen was unsure how long he knelt in the sand, but his legs had gone numb and shifted to move. His father gave him the space to move, but remained close just the same. He was silent throughout his time crying, which he appreciated, but he still had no idea how he was going to move forward with his father, Elise or Emily. A headache brewed under the surface of his temple, from the strain of the day. It was difficult to realise it had started like any other day. Paperwork, a case, looking at the crime scene, searching for details on why an employee of a pharmaceutical company had been professionally killed and who was behind it. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that the wife was his old partner whom he'd had a relationship and child with. Nor that some Serbian terrorist organisation was out to harm her because of his father, whom he had no memory of. If he was to sit down and tell some woman he'd met in a bar that night, she'd think he was drunk or high on drugs.

He rubbed his numb calves and feet, hoping to get the feelings back into them soon. He did have some terrorists to destroy, so he could somehow start a relationship with his daughter, at least.

"So you killed them, did you?" John finally spoke to him about the Comescus. "Must have felt good, son. Knowing how much they destroyed our lives."

Callen remained sitting with his knees up, as he continued to rub through the tingling sensation. He turned and looked at his father. "I remembered. When I stepped onto the beach, I knew I was home and that they had killed her." A tear escaped his welled up and very swollen eyes. He bit on his lower lip, to fight the need to cry again. "She had been laughing, sitting in her chair, happy. Suddenly she stopped, laid on the chair and wouldn't wake up." He looked straight into his father's eyes. "She didn't deserve to die." His heart beat rapid as the memory returned and he continued. "Amy grabbed my hand and we ran until she thought we were safe. I remember it getting cold and dark and we hid behind some old oil drums. A while later a shadow appeared, it was a man. I cannot remember his face, but he told us you sent for us. I thought he was going to take us to you."

"He couldn't. I had problems of my own. I ended up in a Siberian prison camp for the next five years. That's how long it took for my government to extract me. Thinking of you and Amy was what kept me going." John paused as he pulled himself together. He understood the need to be strong for his son. His son had had to be strong all of his life, he didn't deserve to have his father break on him now. He needed him strong, to be the father he needed when he was five.

"You said he was a Russian, who took us to our grandmother's. I don't remember any of it. My earliest memory was in some foster home, being hit over the head with a broom stick for not doing something. I was seven at the time."

"Arkady was the only friend I could get to you. He was a good man, all my other contacts couldn't get to you in time. Even he was too late to save your Mother."

"Arkady Kolcheck?" Callen looked up at him with surprise.

"Yes, but I haven't seen him since I sent him to bring you to America. I haven't been able to find him in Russia for years. Like you, he's seemed to have disappeared."

"Not disappeared. He's around." A small smile of satisfaction that deep down he knew Arkady had known his father was true. "He lives in Los Angeles now. I see him now and then."

"You do?" John nodded and smiled along side his son. "I am glad. I asked a man, Hans Schrieber to look out for you when you lived on the East Coast, but I lost contact with him also.

"He became Michael Rhinehart. The Comescus killed him last year, thinking he was you. They had your alias, Nikita Alexander Reznikov. I think your real identity is intact still. But they know I am a Callen and that has caused all sorts of headaches. Hetty tried to trick them into believing I was dead, but my team and I followed to rescue her."

"I did wonder if she was looking out for you, son. She was a good friend of your Mother's. When Elise told me you'd been to Romania to rescue your boss from the Comescus, I had my suspicion it was her. How is Hetty, these days?"

"On suspension for an op that went wrong, thanks to the CIA once again. It's another witch hunt and someone decided to put it all on her. Even after all the times we've tried to fix their screw ups. They allowed an analyst to pass intel onto the Iranians about a possible spy in their midst." Callen's demeanour darkened as he thought over Janvier. "He found me, you know. That Frenchman, Janvier. I read in your book what you wrote about him. How he threatened me that next time he played chess with me, the pieces would be people I cared about."

John's eyes widened with fear for his son. "What?"

"He knew who I was because I lived with the Callen name. You were right, it was him who burned Mom's real identity to the Comescus. He tried to kill my team, especially my partner, but thankfully he didn't succeed. He did however kill two colleagues, one whom was a good friend." He missed Mike Renko, he always brought fun into the mission when he returned from some operation.

"I'm sorry, son. I thought having you with me that day was a good cover, I never expected him to search you out and carry out his threat. What happened to him? Did you kill him?" A hint of hope was evident in his father's voice.

Callen shook his head. "Not for not trying. The first encounter, I shot him in the jaw. He somehow survived. He played chess with me with peoples lives, many of whom I didn't know. Then I had to pretend to kill him, to convince the Iranians that the CIA analyst's intel was false, which resulted in Janvier having his hand cut off by the Iranians. Then I had to rescue him out of Iran to do a trade of nuclear weapons some Russian tried to sell to Iran. He escaped and I shot him, but he still survived. He's now locked up in South Carolina, serving out three life sentences." Callen shivered, as he thought about the man's last words of revenge to him.

John placed his hand on his son's shoulder for comfort. "You're a good man, Matthew. Too good for the evil in this world. I went into working for my government to dissolve the evil in Europe. Instead it destroyed my family and our lives. Now I think my time with Emily has placed her at risk also."

"What do I need to know about your time with the Serbians, to take them down. Do you have photos and identities of the men involved?"

John nodded. "They're all in the box I gave Elise. She's a good woman, that Elise. She may have married Warren, but she's always been faithful in looking out for your best interest. Don't be hard on her, seeing you again will be difficult on her too. Look past the grandeur of her life, Matthew. Where does her heart lie? Where has it laid for the past sixteen years? Warren may be a good man, but he's not the love of her life. You are. I'm not saying she'll leave him for you, because I made her promise me that she wouldn't, when she found you. She's invested a lot of years in her marriage with Warren, she respects him too much to walk away from it all. Plus they've had two girls together. Emily has lived a happy life up to this point, son. But she's wanted to get to know you. There's a Father-Daughter picnic on at her school in October, go with her on the picnic. Warren will be there with Sally. It would mean the world to both of you if you do. I went last year with her, it was fun. You get to play golf together, eat on the grass in a park, and participate in other activities, such as: races, horseshoe throwing, soccer, volleyball, water wars, tug of war," John laughed as he remembered the year before, "oh and a Dad's serenade." His laughter became louder as he saw the look of horror on his son's face. "You'd think it was something bad like facing a terrorist. But with you, no, it's a Father's serenade with this daughter." He patted his son on the back. "Don't worry. Just go and enjoy the time with Emily. She'd be thrilled to have you with her and show you off to her friends."

"I don't know anything about being a father, let alone to a fifteen year old. And you want me to go out in public to some Father-Daughter picnic?" Callen shook his head. "No way."

"Spend the time you have now with Emily. Come October, you'll think differently." John smiled, reflecting his son's handsome features. "You may get some unwanted attention from the single teachers at the school with your handsome looks."

"What, me? No." Callen shook his head in disbelief. "I've had my share of unwanted attention, thanks."

"You still don't see how worthy you are to be loved, do you? Are you in a relationship with anyone at the moment?"

"My partner, Sam, his wife set me up with their daughter's old kindergarten teacher, Joelle. I know they mean well, but I can' t be the real me with her. I'm just Callen, who works in securities. How can a relationship develop with trust on lies?"

"Well you can tell her your real name now, son. Matthew George Summers and that you have a teenage daughter. That will get the women interested in you more." He chuckled over his son's flushed cheeks. He knew he wasn't used to this kind of attention. I would like to meet this Joelle."

"No you don't. It's not gone anywhere. To be honest, it's hard to relax around someone who doesn't know the real you. With Elise, it was different. I don't think I'll ever find that again with anyone."

"Think about it, at least." John hoped his son would find someone that would love him the way Elise had. Someone he could open up to, and know the real him. "Is there someone at work that you might be interested in?"

Callen shrugged. "I think they're already in a relationship with their own partner. No one wants me."

"That's not true, son. I do, and so does Emily. That's got to count for something?"

"I suppose." He looked over at the sky and realised it was heading towards evening. "It's getting late. I should get back. Did you want to come with me?" He looked at his father, in hope that he would, they could use his knowledge of the Serbians for this case. But he didn't want to force his father, nor get disappointed if he said no.

"I thought you'd never ask." They walked together and climbed into the SUV. Callen turned to him. "Where's your car?"

"I don't have one with me." He admitted. "I walked here."

"So it took you an hour to walk here from where you're staying?"

"Almost. I needed to make sure I arrived first." He smiled over at his son. "I couldn't have you turn up and me not be here. You've been let down too many times already, son. It was time to ensure you that I'm here for you now."

Callen nodded and focused on driving to the boat shed. It wasn't a long drive, but he made lots of turns, driving around the block here and there, to ensure they weren't followed.

_Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcomed._


	7. Chapter 7

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you to all of your reviews, it's been great to hear your thoughts so far._

**Chapter 7**

**_Boat Shed…_**

The last person Callen wanted to see when he returned to the boat shed with his father, was Owen Granger. He always found a way to make the situation less pleasant. But he never expected him to smile and greet his father with such warmth. Callen looked between the two older men in wonder at how they even knew each other. As he stood there, he placed his defence mechanism in place, crossing his arms over his chest. Elise looked on in wonder that after all of these years, he still had the same traits. She knew that one well and had seen it earlier, when he put himself in the corner of the interrogation room. A small smile hinted at the edge of her lips as a small figure walked swiftly behind him, unnoticed.

"Building up your defences will not get what you want, Mr Callen." Callen almost jumped out of his skin, not expecting Hetty's presence.

"Hetty, when did you arrive?" He looked over at Granger, waiting for him to order her to leave, but he only smiled in return, before refocusing his attention with John.

"He called me. Don't be so hard on him. He's heart is in the right place."

Callen looked down at her, surprised. "He called you?"

"Yes." She pursed her lips together as she thought about the situation. "He wanted to tell me that you found some family. A daughter, as a matter of fact." Hetty smiled as she looked over at Emily.

Callen realised the boat shed had become crowded with people. Elise sat on the armchair beside Emily, who laid on the sofa. Sally and Jean sat on chairs beside their mom, chatting about Sam's daughter, Marley. Sam and Nell stood by the kitchenette, making drinks.

"So much like Amy. She's beautiful, Mr Callen. And now I see that you've found your Father too." Her smile spread across her face. "Now Elise has told me you have your birth certificate. Would you like me to arrange for your identification to be changed to your real name?"

Callen smiled warmly at the woman whom he's looked to as a mother for many years. "Yes, thank you, Hetty. I would like that very much. I'll fetch it for you." He walked into the interrogation room and was relieved the box remained untouched in the corner. He pulled out his birth certificate and captured a photo of it, before returning it into the plastic sleeve. He picked up the folder and exited the room. He made a few steps over towards Hetty, when Emily caught his attention. She stood besides his boss, chatting with her when she looked up at him. She smiled over at him and took his breath away. How was he going to function with such a beautiful angel around. How did he get to be so lucky? He wanted to pinch himself, expecting to wake up on his bedroll and find that this was all a dream.

"Dad?" Emily took a step closer towards him, concerned he'd bolt. The expression on his face made her realise that although this day had been huge for all of them, it had been for him the most.

"Hi." _Why is that all that I can muster to say to my own daughter? _ He knew he would have to get used to the title of dad, sooner rather than later. For Emily's sake.

"What's that in your hand?" She thought that if she redirected his attention, she'd get more out of him.

"It's my birth certificate. Hetty's going to change my identification to my real name." He handed the folder To Hetty for safe keeping.

"Mom's explained to me that you've only just found out your name. Do you like it?" Her brows raised in question, clearly interested in him.

"I suppose. I did live with this name for two months, when I lived with your Mom. I have happy memories as Matthew Summers." Suddenly he realised what his father had done. He'd given him happy memories with his real name that he could remember. Not ones of him as a small boy, the snippets of time on the beach or the horror of his mother's death, but of a happy time as an adult with Elise. He turned to face his father, who had stopped talking with Granger to listen to his answer. "You knew, didn't you. That I was happy with Elise back then. That's why you changed the alias to my real name."

"I needed to give you something, son. I know it wasn't enough, but it was something."

Callen nodded. "Thanks." He turned and faced his daughter before looking back to his father. "It appears I gained far more than happy memories as Matthew Summers. I gained the most beautiful daughter that one could ever wish for." He swallowed the lump in his throat, as he turned back to Emily. He chewed on his lower lip, unsure what to say to her again.

"It suits you, Dad." She told him, her eyes glistened and he realised she was about to cry.

He'd been so wound up about how he felt, he'd forgotten about her feelings on meeting him for the first time. Callen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her forehead and realised how tall she was. "I know we've just met," he whispered, "but I already love you, more than I thought I could love another human being. You're my flesh and blood and I will do anything and everything possible to keep you safe."

She looked up at him and nodded. " I know you will. Mom and Papa told me that about you. Even Sam says you have a big heart."

Callen raised his brow, turning to his partner. "Did he, now?"

Sam winked and his smile broadened, watching father and daughter unite for the first time. He'd been so busy up to this point on the case and talking with Elise and his father, now he had the time to get to know Emily.

"Would you like to go through the photo book that your Mom's made for me?"

Emily nodded. "Sure thing, Dad." She loved calling him that. From what her mom and papa had told her, she knew he needed her to say it as often as she could. Being a father was new to him and she was determined to ensure he had a smooth transition into fatherhood.

Together they sat on the floor in the interrogation room, mulling over the photos of Emily's life. Emily laughed when she told him stories that related to the photos. After they had finished going through it, she pulled out the old photo album and opened it up. "I love looking at these photos. Now and then Mom will allow me to look at them. You were so cute when you were little."

"So were you." He smiled and began to feel relaxed around her.

"Look at this one of Amy. She was seven in this one, Papa told me." Emily flipped over the pages of her own photo book to a page of her at the same age. "Look, Amy and I look like twins."

Callen looked between the two photos and nodded. "Yes, you do." He smiled at her with tears in his eyes. "I wish you could have met her. She was the best big sister one could have asked for."

"You miss her, don't you?"

Callen nodded. "I'd forgotten all about her until a few years ago, I came across a woman with her name. It happened that they were friends in an orphanage and when Amy drowned, she took on her name, in fear that she would be hunted down by the men who killed her Father. I visit her grave, but I've never changed the name on the gravestone. I keep hoping she's still alive out there somewhere."

Emily hugged her father, knowing he'd had a very lonely life. "Papa told me, she always called you Baby Brother."

Callen nodded. "When I came across her friend, I asked her what she called me. Baby Brother was her answer."

"You were trying to find out your name?"

"Yes. G. Callen is not much of a name. I don't know how I ended up with the name, perhaps because it's on the old bedroll that belonged to my grandfather, George Callen.

"Well, you can live by your real name now, Dad. Matthew Summers. My Dad."

Callen smiled. "Is that what you want? To have me as your Dad?"

"Yes. I've been waiting for you all of my life."

Callen hugged her and kissed her temple again. A tear escaped his eyes and he quickly wiped it away. "So have I."

Callen leaned over into the box in search for the information on the Serbians, enemies of his father's. "I need to focus on ending this terrorist group, so no one will come after you again." Callen turned serious. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"Look after your Papa while my team and I do our job. I don't want anything to happen to him."

"I will. But you must promise to not do anything stupid. Now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you." She told him with determination.

"Sam will have my back. He always does."

"I like Sam. He's a good guy."

"The best." Callen went to stand, when something else inside the box caught his attention. A box inside the box. He lifted the lid and furrowed his brow. The box was filled with a variety of coloured envelopes. He lifted it out and placed it on his lap.

Emily's face lit up when she saw them. "You found them."

"What are they?"

"Every single birthday card, Father's day card, Christmas card and letters I ever wrote you." Emily smiled, eager for him to open them.

"There's a lot in here." His hand shook as he held the first on in his hand.

"They're in date order. I was almost four when I started. Mum helped me with labelling the envelopes, so you would know what they were for."

Callen looked at the front of the envelope and read the small writing in the top left corner. Birthday card, 2003. In a large scribble was Emily's handwriting, Daddy. Callen traced the name with his finger. Emily placed her hand over his as he did. "I've got to keep the envelopes too." He told her. "Record of your hand writing at each age." Emily kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were warm to the touch, wet with tears, he realised. He pulled her closer and together they sat on the worn wooden floor, with his arm around her shoulders. Carefully he opened the envelope and slid out the card.

_To my Daddy,_

_I hope the fairies find you in time to wish you a very happy birthday._

_I miss you and I love you. Please come home._

_Love from Emily xo_

Callen kissed her on the top of her head. "Thank you, Emily. I'll treasure all of these forever."

Emily looked up at him and smiled. "The fairies finally found you." She whispered, her dreams of finally being held in her father's arms had come true.

Callen laughed. "Yes they did." He peeped at the bottom of the big box and saw a large envelope. As he pulled it out, Emily gasped. "Mom kept all the pictures too."

"Pictures?" Callen raised his brow in question. He pulled the sheets of A3 paper and card out of the envelope, a large grin appeared on his face.

"That's you and me at the beach." Emily pointed to two stick figures painted in blue and green, sitting on yellow sand.

"It's beautiful, Emily. Thank you." His heart swelled with pride over his daughter. Although he'd only just met her, he was amazed by her beauty, inside and out.

A knock interrupted them, they looked up and saw Sam at the door. "We've got to relocate them to a house, G. It's getting dark and everyone's hungry."

"Has Kensi and Deeks arrived with Warren yet?" Callen parted from his daughter and stretched his legs as he stood. He looked at the pictures and cards on the floor and smiled. He carefully collected them back up and secured them back inside the box.

"They'll be here soon. Had to go the long way, as they were tailed leaving the premises."

"I'm not surprised, they followed us. Same vehicle?" Sam nodded. "Eric found anymore on the driver? He's most probably the one who visited Fellowes earlier." Callen was careful in his choice of words with Emily in earshot.

"Eric found the car, it had been reported stolen two days ago. He's been searching the movements of the vehicle since it was stolen from LAX." Sam looked at the envelope in his hand. "What's in there?"

"All we need to know about the Zivkovichs." Sam raised his brow surprised.

"All that my Father gathered on them when he was trying to bring them down back in the sixties. He left it with Elise, incase of situations such as this one arose." Callen quietly explained. He would have preferred to have explained it in a language other than English, but from what Elise told him earlier, she knew French and Spanish, the only other languages the two partners knew together. They might have an expanse knowledge of varied languages, but when it came to them overlapping, it came down to the two languages that Emily had been learning in school.

"Dad!" Sally and Jean's voices announced Kensi and Deeks' arrival with Warren Mitchell. The Mitchell family were complete, now it was time to relocate them to a safe house, guarded by NCIS agents, while Callen and his team did what they did best; bring another terrorist group down. Like the Comescus, Callen knew this one was personal. It was the case of kill or be killed. The responsibility to keep his daughter, his father, Elise and the rest of the Mitchells safe, hung heavily on his shoulders.

Sam saw the change in his demeanour and was determined to have his back, even when his natural instinct would be to go lone wolf. _Not on my watch, you don't, G, _Sam thought, hoping his partner saw his pledge to be there by his side all the way on this one.

_Thank you again for reading, I love to hear what you think. Please leave a review._


	8. Chapter 8

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your reviews._

**Chapter 8**

Callen struggled to keep himself focused on the case, as he and his team digressed the intel Eric and Nell had procured, alongside the information inside the yellow envelope that John had given Elise. They had safely placed them in a house by the beach to stay at for a few days. He hoped that was all the time that they needed to dissolve the threat. Callen was sure is was another of Hetty's houses, that he'd yet to discover, but all the old spy would say was that it was a vacant house of a friend's.

All staff at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals were staying put in the secured premises until Deeks and Kensi told them otherwise. They were their point of contact, with no other agents allowed to deal with them, due to the highly sensitive nature of the company. Their faces were known to the head of security and therefore they were trusted. It was possible for someone to fake credentials and get inside the security to kill them and steal the viruses and chemicals.

"Found them." Eric's voice echoed through the bull pen, where everyone sat, going through the details. He pulled the information up onto the screen, behind Deeks' desk. "This man, Bojan Kostic is a hired hitman for the Zivkovich family." The dark haired man's image looked hard and mean. "He arrived into the country under a false passport, Bogdan Lukac, a Polish businessman. It wasn't until I placed I searched for known associations with the Zivkovich into LAX searches, did I find the anomaly. He had a travel companion." Eric pulled his details up onto the screen besides Kostic's. Short blond hair, a number one at the barbers, just before he left. "Javor Zivkovich, the elder son of Borislav Zikovich. He arrived into LAX also on a false passport using the guise of Miroslav Rosich, a Finish importer from Helsinki."

"These men are professionals. Everything about this organisation speaks well organised and dangerous. The fact that they've managed to get two men in through LAX undetected, with all of our latest facial imagery, it makes me wonder who else has come in undetected." Anger raged through Callen's body as he clenched his fists by his side. "We need all names related to this organisation and every facial from the photos my Father has provided us with. Anything that comes close, in the past six months, I want to know about it." Callen memorised the images up on the screen and the ones his father had gathered. He closed his eyes trying to see if he'd seen any of them following him in recent times. He shook his head when he came up blank. When he opened his eyes, Sam looked over to him with great concern. "You okay, G?"

"Just trying to see if any of these men have been tailing me, other than from the Mitchell house. I don't remember seeing either of these men or any others from these photos. I think it's safe to say, I haven't been burned." He was trying to reason his purpose for leading his team into battle, that he wouldn't put any of them at risk by being there.

"That may be, Mr Summers," Hetty walked into the bull pen, now she had finished updating Director Vance on the situation. She was relieved that Owen had seen the sense in forcing Vance's hand in allowing her early return to the helm of the ship, "however, you look too much like your Father. If any of them recognise you, they won't hesitate to kill you." Concern for him hung like a dark cloud in a storm, ready to battle in the sky with lightening and thunder.

"You can't take me off this case, Hetty. You know this is personal. Just like the Comescus. It's not from any cause of my own that this situation has fallen into our laps. We will deal with it as a team or you know I will carry on with or without a team." Callen glared at her with his steely blue eyes.

"That's what I'm afraid of, Mr Summers. Which is why I have just spent the last half hour on the phone convincing Director Vance that you are to be the one to lead this team into battle." Hetty huffed, with as much strength and determination as Callen had in his protest.

Callen stood down. "Thanks, Hetty. I appreciate it."

"Now please update me on what you have found." Eric and Nell nodded and went through the details from John's intel and what they had discovered. Her eyes never wavered nor showed any hint of the fear that developed for the Summers family in the pit of her stomach. She was renowned for her stoic behaviour: in public, she would uphold that trait, even if it meant, later she would fester her concerns in private.

"Do we have a location for these two men, Mr Beale?" Her voice echoed the seriousness of the situation, being short and clipped.

"We do. We've traced their whereabouts since landing two days ago. They are staying at this address in Pasadena. The address is on your phones." He addressed Callen and his team. "Camera footage on a property across the street, shows the two men to be inside."

"Gear up, team." They followed Callen to the armoury, Nell followed, hoping she could be of help. Callen turned and faced her. "I know you want to help, Nell. But I need you here with Eric to find any others who might be here."

"But," Nell looked up at Callen and saw how serious he was, with no hope for him to budge. "Granger can be my partner, Callen."

"I need your eyes to help us, Nell. Please!" He walked over to her, placing his bag of weapons onto his shoulder. "I know you're a great agent, Nell. But this is where the team and I need you to be right now. Our eyes and ears. Okay?" He couldn't tell her he worried that something bad would happen to her. Each time they placed Nell alone out in the field or in the boat shed, they always had to come to her rescue. He couldn't handle the guilt if she was injured or killed. He didn't want her facing these Serbians, who had proven to be brazen in entering the country even with their technology looking for known terrorists. He'd been happy for her to stay with Elise earlier, because he knew Elise was no threat to her, but also, if something did arise, Elise was able to protect herself, anyway. He'd seen her clip a weapon into a strap on the inside of her left leg back at the house, so he knew she was carrying.

Nell nodded and accepted his word that was where he needed her the most. It wasn't like when Kensi was away in Afghanistan and they were a man down. She watched them leave, before joining Eric up in Ops.

Callen, Sam, Deeks and Kensi took the Ford truck and parked it around the corner from the house on Cordova Street. Nightfall provided them shelter from prying eyes as they made their way towards the property. Callen and Sam went for the front, waiting for Deeks and Kensi to be in position around the rear of the property. "Ready." Kensi whispered through the comms.

"On the count of three." Callen whispered before Sam and Deeks kicked both front and rear doors down. Gunfire met them as they tried to enter. They were held back, unable to move forward.

Kensi signalled to Deeks to cover her as she ducked down and moved inside to the kitchen. Gunfire flew close past her, as Deeks responded to protect her. He was determined to have her back at every step of the operation. He needed to prove, that although they were now more than partners, he could still function like before. He saw one of their targets move from behind the wall and aim at Kensi. He fired at the man, taking him down with a bullet to the temple. Kensi turned and smiled at her partner, relieved to have Deeks as a partner. They moved forward, with only one target inside, who was being held up with Callen and Sam. She and Deeks covered each other as they moved forward through the dining room and then the living room. Javor Zivkovich hid in the doorway to a bedroom off the hallway, firing at Callen and Sam, who were still out front. Kensi tapped Deeks on the arm, to tell him about her next move. Deeks shook his head, telling her it was too dangerous. She furrowed her brow, knowing it was the right thing to do. Ignoring his plea, she went ahead, knowing he'd back her up anyway. She crawled along the floor, moving silently along to the doorway out to the hallway. Peering around the corner with a mirror, she saw him focused on Callen and Sam. She signalled to Deeks to tell to Sam and Callen to keep their target occupied, as she moved on the floor to aim.

Callen and Sam looked at each other as Deeks relayed Kensi's plan. "She's what? Tell her to abort, Deeks." Callen whispered over the comms, while Sam fired towards their target. "Get out of there, the house is wired." Sam had just pointed the wiring out to him a few seconds earlier.

Deeks moved forward, pulling Kensi up off the floor and out towards the back door. The target moved also as he dialled the set number in his cell. They arrived at the back door at the same time, surprising each other.

Callen and Sam ran from the house for cover, but when they heard gunfire outback, concern for Deeks and Kensi grew. "Deeks, Kensi, what is your status? The house is about to blow." Frustration over not knowing their status caused the team leader to pound his fist into the ground, as he and Sam laid low for protection.

Deeks saw Javor first and fired, injuring the Serbian. He pulled Kensi out of the line of fire as he retaliated, before falling to the floor. Their only way out was to go over him and he was still armed. Deeks turned and saw the dining room window. He pulled Kensi back as Javor fired again, trying to get up with blood pouring out of his leg. Kensi fell as Deeks threw a chair through the window, sending glass shattering to the ground. She looked at her hip, blood poured out of her body, as Deeks lifted her up and climbed out of the window. Pain suddenly hit her as the realisation she'd been hit reached her brain. She held her hand over the entry wound as Deeks continued to carry her, running from the house. More gunfire came their way as Javor also carried himself out of the house. Deeks yelped as hot metal seared his arm, but determination to get himself and Kensi to a safe distance from the house pushed him, till they were safe behind a shed. The ground shook, the sound of glass smashing from all windows of the property as bright orange flames burst out of the building.

"Deeks, Kensi, what is your status?" Callen and Sam moved from their safe location, once the explosion had occurred. They ran up the driveway to the rear of the property in hope to find the younger partners safe. They were met with more gunfire, as Javor laid on the ground, covered in debris, fired in their direction. Callen jumped out of the direction of the bullet, as Sam fired the kill shot at the Serbian. They looked around at the devastation, fear for their team mates grew, when they couldn't find them.

"Deeks, Kensi." Callen and Sam called out.

"Over here." Deeks stood, holding his injured arm to stop the bleeding to reveal their location.

"Where's Kensi?" Callen swallowed hard, feeling the responsibility on his team heavily on his shoulders.

"She's here. Shot in the hip." Callen ran over and took a closer look. Kensi had a look of pain in her brown eyes, which worried him.

"Eric, we need paramedics to this address. Deeks and Kensi have been shot." Sam called through the comms.

"Let me have a look, Kens." Callen spoke calmly, although his hands shook from the adrenaline that pumped through his body. He saw the entry wound and the amount of blood that Kensi was losing. He took his shirt off and pressed it onto the wound. "I need to know if there's an exit point, Kens." She nodded stiffly as Callen gently turned her for further examination. "The bullet is still inside you. Don't move. Paramedics are on their way."

Sam looked closer at Deeks' injury. "This is more than a flesh wound, Deeks. Sam looked around for something to tie over the wound and decided Deeks' shirt would have to be it. He pulled out his knife from a leg strap and ripped his red plaid shirt from his left arm and then tied if around the wound on his right. "This is going to hurt, Deeks, but it will stop the bleeding." Deeks nodded and prepared himself for the pain. He was already in a great deal of pain, but he wasn't prepared for the intensity when Sam tied his favourite shirt over the wound. "It's a through and through." Sam announced. He looked over at Callen and saw he was taking good care of Kensi. "What happened?"

"Kensalina got this wild idea to crawl onto the floor to take Javor out around the doorway from the living room. After Callen said to get out, I grabbed her for the back door. We arrived the same time as Javor. I fired, hitting him in the leg, but he fired back. I pulled Kensi back, knowing we had to find another way out. I smashed the window with a chair and when I turned around, she was on the floor. I picked her up and climbed out the window and ran for cover. Javor was also trying to flee, he shot me in the arm, I couldn't defend us, while carrying her."

"You did good, Deeks. You got the both of you out of there before it blew." Sam tried to appease the younger man.

Deeks shook his head. "I should have pulled her back earlier."

"You didn't know it was wired, nor that you'd meet Javor at the back door. You did all you could to escape. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"But," tears of emotion welled up in his eyes.

Sam disconnected the comms in his earwig and signalled Deeks to do the same. They walked over to where Javor's dead body laid. "You better pull yourself together, Deeks, before Hetty or Granger see you this emotional over Kensi. You did the right things and saved both of you. Yes you both got hit, but you're both alive and will live from these injuries."

Deeks nodded and knew that Sam was looking out for his best interest when it came to him and Kensi. "Thanks, Sam."

Sirens rang loudly through the night, getting louder as they approached the property. The fire brigade arrived first to put the flames out, soon after the paramedics and the police. Callen and Sam allowed the paramedics to deal with Kensi and Deeks, after providing them details of their injuries. They stood back and watched them being led away and knew they had to deal with LAPD without their liaison.

It had been a long day and night for Callen and Sam when they walked back into the mission. Hetty and Granger met them on arrival and suggested they go home for the night. Nell bounded down the stairs, relieved to see them unhurt. "How's Kensi and Deeks?"

"They'll live. Kensi's in theatre, the bullet was lodged against her ilium, where the muscle attaches to it. They're trying to remove it without further damaging either the bone or soft tissue. Deeks was a through and through, so he's been patched up and will stay with Kensi, for company."

Nell sighed, thankful that no one had been blown up.

"Deeks did good out there, Hetty. It was a tough situation, but he managed to get them both out before the house blew." Sam retold what Deeks had reported to him, to Hetty and Granger.

"I realise it's been a long day, gentlemen, but if you can write your reports on today's events before you leave, I would be grateful for it. I've got to explain the situation about having two injured members of our team to the Director." Hetty strolled off for her office, Granger followed, knowing the Operations Manager needed to get her fears for her team's safety and that of the Summers out in the open.

Nell followed them over to the bull pen. "I'm heading out for some Chinese, either of you want me to bring you some back?" Food was the last thing on either agents' mind, but the thought of Chinese did make their stomachs grumble.

"Yeah, thanks, Nell." Callen slumped into his chair, trying to unravel the day's events out into his report. He managed to exclude his personal situation from the case, by stating names of Fellowes, the Mitchell and Summers families without his own. All he stated was that Emily Summers was John Summers granddaughter, and that the Serbians were after Emily, not any viruses or chemicals stored at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals. It closed an old case that spanned forty odd years, for now. He knew from experience from dealing with the Comescus, that another member of the family would be back for revenge. It always went that way.

_Thank you for your continued support. Please leave a review._


	9. Chapter 9

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 9**

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen laid on the sofa in the alcove from the bull pen. He was exhausted and had no strength left to go home. As he tried to unscramble and sort the events and emotion from the day, he drifted off to sleep. Hetty found him and placed the handmade Indian blanket over him. "Sweet dreams, Mr Summers." She smiled fondly as she watched his eyes flicker from dreams that took hold of his mind. She turned to leave and switched out the lights. It had been an interesting day, to say the least, for her team leader; finding two members of his family in one day, was a huge achievement. But it also brought about a valid reason for her return as the puppet master in the office of special projects. She knew her battle was not yet over, that someone was on a witch hunt, but for now at least, she had the support of her director and assistant director on her side. It was time she went to see her injured sparrows, to ensure that they were getting the best care that was available to them.

**_L.A. General Hospital…_**

Deeks awoke with a start, when he heard movement. Pain throbbed in his right arm as he moved from the chair. He steadied himself into standing position, dopey from the pain relief he'd been given earlier. He watched nurses wheel Kensi into the room, plugging her to a heart monitor and attaching the drip and bag of blood to the stands beside the bed. It hit him hard, seeing all the attachments on her, making her look venerable and she looked so pale from her usual olive glow. As he stood watching them work around her, he felt a hand on his left arm. He turned and wasn't surprised to see Hetty standing beside him. "The doctor told me she's going to be fine, Mr Deeks. Perhaps I could drive you home for a goodnight's sleep and return in the morning?"

Deeks shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving my partner." Guilt that she'd been shot spread across his features.

"You did well, Mr Deeks. You got the two of you out of the house before it blew. I heard from Mr Hanna that you were quite the hero." Deeks looked at her as if she was mad. It wasn't how he would have worded his actions. It was fear that drove him to get them both out of their safely. Desperation from their only way out being blocked by an injured madman with a gun.

"Miss Blye is being well looked after here, let's go home and get some rest ourselves." Hetty gently suggested.

"Thanks, Hetty, but you go. I'm not ready to leave her." He stumbled over to the armchair and sat down, careful not to bump his right arm. He winced as the movement in its self, caused pain to shoot up his arm.

Hetty observed him and realised he too should be in a hospital bed. She exited the room and spoke quietly with the nurse on duty. "My Detective Deeks is in pain from the gunshot wound in his arm. Is there space in Agent Blye's room to put another bed in there and for Detective Deeks to be given some morphine?"

The nurse nodded. "I'll get Dr Brinklow to sign off for some and arrange a bed for him." She agreed with the petite woman, as she had tried earlier to get him into a bed after he'd been patched up. But he was so focused on waiting for his partner to come out of surgery, he was immovable. _Why didn't I think of that proposition?_ She concluded the older woman was wise in her suggestion due to her knowing her people well. They were a close unit, that she had observed by the presence of the other two agents who had been in earlier. They all cared for each other more than just colleagues. She realised that it had to do with their line of work, where they had to trust each other to have each other's back. It gave her the determination to ensure both were comfortable and received the best treatment from them.

Deeks sat, holding onto Kensi's hand with his uninjured arm. What he really wanted, was to be lying down beside her and to listen to her every breath, then he knew she was indeed fine. His eyes opened wide when he saw another bed wheeled into the room. He furrowed his brow, confused over what was going on. Dr Brinklow entered with a nurse and walked over to him.

"Detective Deeks. I believe you're still in quite a bit of pain from your injury and that you've refused a bed because you were worried over your partner. We've brought you a bed, so you can sleep and recover from your own injury and stay with Agent Blye." Deeks raised his brow surprised, but his mind was still fuzzy. It sounded a good idea and nodded. The nurse and doctor helped him up and over to the bed. As he settled on the mattress, the nurse added something into the shunt, that was still in the back of his hand, just incase they needed to administer fluid or medication into his system.

Deeks eyes widen when he saw her at work. "Please no, don't."

"You're in pain, Detective Deeks. This will help you sleep." The nurse smiled gently down to the scruffy blond. "We're here to help you recover in as least amount of pain as possible."

"I need…to…stay…awake." The morphine she'd placed into the drip had taken effect over him. She left the two in peace to sleep, knowing come tomorrow, he'd refuse the bed. He wasn't going to allow her to lead him into a false sense of security again, that she knew. She had to report to Miss Lange on her success in getting the detective to succumb to sleep, for tonight, at least.

_ Thank you for your continued support. Please leave your thoughts in a review._


	10. Chapter 10

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

**Chapter 10**

**_L.A. General…_**

Shadows and a variety of weird things climbing onto his head made Marty Deeks toss and turn in his sleep. He yelped in pain as he moved his injured arm, although the morphine kept him trapped in his sleep. He tried to make sense of what was happening in his dream. People from his past returned with smiles on their faces, only to laugh at him as he fought off the eight legged black hairy things that landed on his head. They were huge and he fought them with all his might.

Kensi stirred from her sleep and looked over at the noise. She squinted her eyes shut and reopened them, to clear her vision. She furrowed her brow when her mind refused to clear. "Deeks?" She croaked, very voice rasp from surgery.

He didn't respond, so she shouted again. A nurse entered the room upon hearing her voice. She walked over to Kensi, thinking she was in pain, but when she saw the direction of her gaze, she realised she was looking at her partner. Zoe turned and noticed the nightmare that took hold of the detective. She gently tried to pry him from it. His left hand gripped her arm firmly in fear. "You're safe now, Detective Deeks. It's just a bad dream." As if he'd heard and understood her soothing voice, he settled in the bed and laid motionless once again. She sighed at the effects the morphine had on him. When she turned to Kensi, she gave her a thorough check through of her vitals. "You're worried about your partner?"

Kensi nodded. "He suffers from nightmares." She whispered, her strength waning once again.

"He's been worried about you. Your team too. They have been here waiting to see how you were. Miss Lange suggested we pulled in another bed for him, he wouldn't leave you alone." Zoe checked Kensi's temperature and blood pressure. "How's your hip?"

Kensi tried to sit up, but Zoe gently pushed her back down. Don't move, it's best for your hip that you stay put. We'll see how you feel in the morning, before we raise the bed for you.

"I can't feel my leg." With all the strength that she could muster, Kensi tried to move her right leg without any success. Frustration flashed across her face from her failure.

"Go easy on yourself, Agent Blye. You're hip's taken a beating. Dr Brinklow worked very carefully to ensure no further damage was done to your hip, but swelling from the bullet and surgery to remove it may be preventing the messages to make you move it for now. I'll write it in the report for Dr Hill who will be taking over on the next shift in fifteen minutes. Rochelle will be looking after you both then too.

Kensi nodded, there was nothing else that she could do. Her eyelids became heavy, so she succumbed to it and drifted back off to sleep.

The next time she awoke, Deeks was awake and sitting in the armchair beside her. "Hey sleepy head." He smiled his sunny smile at her, relieved to see her awake."

"Hey." She wanted to sit up and remembered what the nurse told her the night before. She looked for the remote for the bed, but couldn't find it. Deeks picked up on what she wanted and moved it into her hand. "Thanks."

She moved the bed end upwards and was glad to be sitting up a little. She winced in pain from the movement on her hip.

"You okay, Fern?" Deeks looked over at her with concern.

"Will be." She tried to readjust her position, but she still struggled to move her right leg.

A different nurse arrived into the room and smiled at them. "Morning. How are you both feeling?"

"I think Kensi's struggling to get into a comfortable position." Deeks advised her.

Rochelle assessed her position with the raised bed end. "Still struggling to move your right leg?" Kensi nodded.

Deeks watched on with surprise, unaware that Kensi had woken in the night. He felt bad he'd been asleep when she had woken up. Rochelle assisted Kensi into a more comfortable position, with the aid of a pillow.

"Breakfast will be here shortly." She left them alone and went to tend to her other patients.

"I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you woke up." Deeks rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"You were having a nightmare. The nurse, she was good. She told you that you were safe and the nightmare went away."

Deeks furrowed his brow, confused. Usually he remembered his nightmares, but he realised the morphine wouldn't have helped him remember. He turned his attention back to her. "You can't feel your leg?"

"No." Kensi flashed her frustrations once more over her lack of control.

A knock at the door caught their attention. Callen and Sam entered carrying a box of donuts. Kensi's eyes widened with delight, appreciating their thoughtfulness. "Hey." Callen walked over and opened the lid of the box. "How are you feeling?"

Deeks shrugged then regretted it, wishing he wasn't so useless. "Kensi can't move her leg." Kensi knitted her brow together annoyed that he told them.

Callen and Sam looked over at her with concern, as she bit into a cherry compote glazed donut. Deeks eyes widened as he watched her gobble it up in record time, even for her. "You're going to make yourself sick, if you keep that up."

"I'm hungry. Not eaten since lunch." He knew too well how long it had been, but he was surprised after all she had been through, that she could even be that hungry.

Sam chuckled that although they'd just survived the night before, they appeared their usual selves. He knew that was a good sign that they would be okay, once their wounds had healed.

"Fern." Deeks caught Kensi take a second donut, this time her usual, a chocolate glazed one, making her feel guilty and she dropped it back into the box.

"I'll leave the box for you, incase you want more later." Callen smirked at the two, but he was surprised Deeks hadn't helped himself to any. He knew that look of guilt the detective had in his eyes. "Deeks, can I have a word?"

Deeks nodded and followed him out into the hallway, leaving Sam with Kensi. The detective stood unsure of himself. Callen noticed and knew he needed to tell him that everyone knew he did the right thing.

"I know that look, Deeks. You're punishing yourself. You're not eating; you need to take care of yourself." Callen stepped closer to him and looked up to meet his eyes. "You did good last night, Deeks. It was a tough case, you got you and Kens out. Don't be hard on yourself. You'll both heal from this. That was some impressive hero work, carrying her out like that under attack. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, neither of you would be here today."

Deeks was surprised to hear those words from Callen. After how he had approached him after he'd suffered torture from saving Sam and Michelle, he was expecting Callen to tell him he'd let the team down. But here he was praising him. Although he knew Callen meant well, he still couldn't put his guilt for Kensi's injury out of his mind. "You don't blame me?"

"Blame you for what, Deeks? You got out of there as fast as you could. You communicated with us all the way on what Kensi was planning and you took control when I warned you to get out. When you faced Zivkovich, you took measures to find another escape. You did real good, Deeks. You're a credit to this team and I for one am proud to have you on our team." Callen placed his hand on his left shoulder to confirm his statement.

"Thanks, Callen." He looked to the seasoned agent. "That means a great deal."

Callen smiled and nodded. "Let's get back in there before Kensi consumes the lot." Deeks laughed a little and re-entered the room.

Sam sat on the end of Kensi's bed rubbing her right foot and calf when they walked back in. Deeks and Callen raised their brow over to the pair.

"Want to explain yourselves?" Callen smirked, knowing he'd caught his partner helping Kensi with her problem over her leg.

"I'm just helping Kensi to see if we can get any feeling back by massaging it." Sam explained, slightly flushed over the jesting from Callen.

"I bet you were great when Michelle was pregnant with Marley." Callen's grinned broadened. After the day before, he was glad to have some form of normality with his partner.

"I was, as a matter of fact. Something you could learn about. Here." Sam moved to urge Callen forward.

"Me?" He looked from Sam to Kensi. "Shouldn't that be for Deeks," he paused and looked at the detective, "sorry, Deeks." He mentally gave himself a Gibbs head slap for forgetting even for a moment about Deeks' own injury from getting Kensi to safety.

"Yes, you." It was Sam's turn to grin back at his partner. He stepped back, allowing Callen to move in and massage Kensi's foot and calf. Callen felt awkward sitting there, but he was willing to do anything to get his team back together again. He worked his magic when Kensi's leg started to tingle.

"It's working." Hope returned to the younger agent. "Keep going, Callen." He continued, and smiled over at Kensi, when he saw her smile in return.

"It's good to see you smile, Kens." She was still pale, but she looked better than when they first arrived. He turned and looked between his team. "I want to thank you all," he looked particularly at Kensi and Deeks, "for all you have done to help eliminate the enemies of my Father's. He turned to Sam, "you've always had my back. I couldn't ask for a better team. Thanks."

"You'd do the same for us, G." Sam responded. "Glad we could help."

Callen nodded to his partner, as he turned to Kensi and Deeks, his facial expression became more serious. "I owe you both big time for last night. Anything either of you need, just ask, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Kensi replied.

"Thanks, Callen."

They continued to chat away when another knock on the door stopped their conversation. All heads turned to the door and saw Nell standing there with a basket of goodies for Deeks and Kensi. "Hey." She turned and looked at Callen massaging Kensi's leg, her eyes widened at the image.

Sam chuckled. "I think Nell's going to want a turn next, G."

Nell flushed, as she scooted past them towards where Kensi and Deeks sat. "How are you guys? You had us all worried last night."

"Better than being blown up." Kensi answered her, trying to put her bright smile on her face for her petite friend. She was getting tired and struggled to keep her eyelids open.

Callen noticed her getting tired and stopped massaging. He stood and nodded to Sam. "We'll come back later, depending on our workload."

"Thanks for the donuts and massage." Kensi mumbled. Deeks nodded his head to the senior partners, he could see he was now one of them. Inside he felt a fear dissipate over being asked to leave the team. Something had changed inside of Callen, he realised. He appeared more settled than before.

_ Love to hear what you think of this story. Thanks for reading, please leave a review._


	11. Chapter 11

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

**Chapter 11**

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen and Sam entered the mission ready for an update from Hetty, Granger and Eric.

"The case has been handed over to the CIA." Granger greeted them with the news, placing both agents in surprise and causing them to become frustrated.

"You've what?" Callen's cerulean eyes bore through Granger's brown ones, as anger bubbled below the surface.

"This is from an old CIA case, Agent Callen." Owen Granger stood his ground. "They can handle the Zivkovichs in Serbia far better than our own agency."

"That's crap and you know it. The fact that my Father has spent almost forty years hiding from them and my Mother was left to die on a beach in Romania, is all because the CIA did diddly-squat and don't care about the threat this terrorist group have on my family. We mean nothing to them, just casualties of war." Callen's jaw clenched and hands fisted by his side, as he tried to rein in his anger towards their Assistant Director. He turned to the woman who meant the world to him. "Hetty?"

Hetty stood stoic in her place, seeing the plea in Callen's eyes tore at her heart, but she had tried with all that she had to fight Owen on this one and lost. "I am sorry, Mr Summers. There is nothing I can do for you on this one." She bowed her head and returned to her office, wishing she could do something to help her boy.

"There must be something we can do?" Sam stepped forward in his approach to their senior leader.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but with two agents down, there is no other choice."

"Sam and I can go to assist." Callen would not let this go, not yet, anyway.

Owen Granger shook his head. "Go and spend time with your Father and daughter, Agent Callen. Take some time off, you've accrued enough for a few months vacation as it is."

Callen crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "He told you not to let me go, didn't he?"

Owen met Callen with softer eyes than he'd had earlier. "I promised him that I wouldn't let you do anything stupid."

"Since when doing my job is anything stupid?" Callen's voice raised in pitch, annoyed over decisions being made without him.

Owen stepped closer, forcing close contact with the younger man. "This is personal for you, Matthew." He hoped using the agent's real name, might help bring him around to capitulate on this subject. "There will be no going off the reservation on this one. You are to head over to the safety house and get to know John and Emily. You have too many years lost, don't waste this chance."

Callen was taken aback by Granger's soft approach with him. He furrowed his brow, trying to work the man out. He studied him, searching for something in his eyes to reveal the man before him.

Owen saw him searching, he too had walls built up around him but he couldn't just let them down. He saw the pleading in Callen's eyes, he knew it was what the younger man needed from him, but he couldn't. If he walked away now, he'd escape revealing something to him, but he knew it would only frustrate him more and they'd collide heads once again. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sam worried that there'd be a fight between the two men before him and knew it wouldn't end well for either man. They were as stubborn as the other, which in this case was to no one's benefit. "Let's go, G." He tried to remove his partner from the close contact with their Assistant Director.

"No, Sam. I'm waiting on Granger to explain himself." Callen remained focused on Owen, although his anger had dissipated. He knew he was hiding something. He needed answers and seeing his resolve in ending the Serbians had been taken from him by Granger, he wanted the third in charge of their agency to explain why promising to his father meant so much to him.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Matthew." Callen knitted his brow together, confused to why Owen Granger continued to use his real name. It set something off inside of him, a feeling and a memory.

Callen looked up at Owen as flashes of the past returned to the forefront of his mind. "You've known all along who I was." Callen shook his head, as the past caught up with him. "You visited us in Salagru." Callen stepped back from him, surprised. "Now why would you keep that information from me?" Anger returned, with the feelings of betrayal.

"Would you have believed me, if I had?" Owen knew from the moment he met the agent and his team, he was in for a challenge. They were a close knit team, a self built family, forged by fire in battle. He understood that, he'd had that same family, once upon a time.

"Yes." Callen shook his head. "No." His breathing escalated. "But you should still have told me who I really was. You knew I was searching for my family."

"I didn't know where your Father was, Matthew. I've been trying to find him myself. I had no idea about Emily either."

"But you could have told me about who I was and who my family were. It would have been a start." He started to walk back out of the mission, ready to flee. His mind was a blur of images, of happy times with his parents and sister. He remembered his parents' friend who visited. They were close friends, like he was with his team.

"I'm sorry, Matthew. I thought it was best until I could find John." Owen admitted with regret. "Please forgive me." He looked towards Callen who had numerous emotions spread across his face.

Suddenly, Eric's head popped over from the balcony. "Guys, I've found two more members of the Zivkovichs."

Callen and Sam ran up the stairs, with Granger and Hetty following. Images of a man and a woman arriving by jet at a private airstrip, had their attention.

"Meet, Dejan and Namena Zivkovich, brother and sister. We killed their older brother, Javor, last night." Eric announced to his smaller than usual audience. His partner entered through the sliding doors and listened intently to the intel he revealed, catching up on what she had missed.

"Javor must have told them about Emily." Fear for his daughter's safety spread over Callen's body. "Do we know their whereabouts?"

Eric brought up a location in downtown Los Angeles. "They booked themselves into a suite at the Four Seasons in Beverley Hills. The address is on your phones. They're still there."

Callen and Sam went to exit the room. "Agents Callen and Hanna." They turned, annoyed to be stopped. "Agent Hanna and I will go. If they recognise you, Agent Callen, this whole operation will be compromised."

Callen went to argue, but stopped when Hetty placed her hand on his arm. "Mr Summers. Please listen to Owen. He is right." Anger rippled through this body at another attempt to prevent him from fighting for his family.

Callen watched his partner leave with Granger, his defences erected once again as they left. He stood in his place staring at the screen, unwilling to move or communicate with anyone around him. Nell worked alongside her partner at their computers tapping into the hotel's security system. It was complex, but with their skill sets, they were able to breach security protocols and enter. They found the suite their suspects were in and brought up live feeds from outside the door. Eric brought up satellite heat imagery of two occupants inside. They were alone and unknowingly about to be annihilated.

Hetty left her boy to simmer alone. She had a phone all to make, one she hoped would help him get through this. She descended the stairs and walked over to her desk. She pulled out her brick cell phone and dialled a number.

"Hello Senator, I would like to speak with your wife."

**_Manhattan Beach, C.A.…_**

"Henrietta. It's been a long time. Of course, I will pass you over to her." He smiled fondly over to his wife, Hannah.

"Hello Hetty, how are you?" The blonde woman's face brightened over the call from the older woman.

"I am well, my dear. Are you free this morning?"

"I do have some engagements later, I could spare you an hour or two."

"Good. Meet me at our usual meeting place in twenty minutes."

"See you soon, Hetty." The blonde disconnected the call. "Hetty wants to see me, darling. It must be important for her to call. Could you spare me for a few hours?"

Daniel Tate smiled and nodded over to his wife of twenty years. "Yes, of course. Enjoy your time with her. I know how much she means to you."

"Thank you, Dan." She collected her purse and keys, as she headed out the door. The sun was shining brightly on the late summer's day, as she approached her car and hopped in. As she turned the key, the ignition faltered. Her Mercedes had been a reliable vehicle, so this was very much out of character. Fear emerged within her as she quickly exited her car and ran away, just as it exploded. Her body was pushed into a nearby bush, protecting her fall.

The building shook, causing fear in Daniel as he ran outside, calling out her name. As he looked at the fireball, his heart stopped beating for a moment as fear of his beautiful wife consumed him. He heard a groaning and turned his head. Relief washed over him as he saw Hannah pull herself out of the bush. Her body was covered in scratches, but otherwise she was unhurt. She stood up, wobbly on her feet. Daniel ran over to her and encased her in his arms. "Are you okay, Han?" He scanned over her body for any further injuries, when security staff arrived on scene.

Hannah Tate nodded. "Get me out of here, Dan." He led her back inside the building, neither keen to use his vehicle, incase it too had been wired. Sirens could be heard on their approach to the scene. Her body shook as the adrenaline surged through her body. In her husband's line of work, death threats came with the territory, yet she knew that for someone to want to kill her, it had more to do with who she was than that of her husband. "I need to get to Hetty."

Daniel nodded. "I will take you. Just let security check my vehicle out first, we don't want us blowing up in mine." He dialled his head of security and asked if they could find any wiring for a bomb underneath or inside of his vehicle.

"All clear, sir. We've just completed a sweep of your car and others in the car park." Nigel Mansfield responded. His day had become chaotic, now that LAPD and the bomb squad had arrived.

"Thank you, Nigel. We'll be right down." Daniel led Hannah down to his car and climbed in. "Where are we going?"

Hannah typed in the address into the GPS, "Marina Del Ray." Daniel raised his brow in surprised at the location. "We meet on her yacht, the Lady H."

Daniel nodded and smiled as he pulled out of the car park. "Of course, the name suites her." They drove the thirty minute drive from their office at Manhattan Beach, near to their family home.

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

News of an explosion came through to Eric, while Callen remained focused on the images on the screen. Sam and Granger had arrived at the Four Seasons and were on their way up to their suspects' suite.

"We've got a car exploding in Manhattan Beach." Eric spoke out loud to Nell. "Where's Hetty?"

"She went out, but I have no idea where." Nell replied.

Callen pulled his cell out of his rear pocket and tried to call their Operations Manager, with no luck. "She's not answering. Eric, can you locate her please?"

"On it, Callen." Eric typed in Hetty's GPS on her cell and 1974 Jaguar E-Type XKE. "She's switched off both GPS'." Eric looked concerned over Callen, not liking it when Hetty went dark.

"Sam and Granger are about to breach the suite at the Four Seasons." Nell piped in. "We need to focus on this."

"Nell, you keep your eyes on Sam and Granger. Eric, can you pull up camera feeds of the explosion in Manhattan Beach?"

"Yeah sure, Callen." Eric replied, looking sheepishly over at Nell. He knew Nell was the one Callen asked for extra things like this, but now it was him that Callen had turned to.

Nell nodded and refocused on her job at hand. Eric moved away using his tablet, so not to disturb her. He understood the importance of keeping an eye out for their agents on the ground.

"Here." Eric showed Callen the feed just as the car exploded. Callen saw a figure leave the vehicle and being thrown into the bush.

"Can you go back a minute before the explosion, Eric?" Eric nodded and found the spot.

A woman with long blonde hair, neatly tied behind her in a pony tail exited the building. She was dressed in lightweight navy pants and a pale blue satin shirt, as she climbed into the vehicle. She tried once to start her car, before she fled from it, just before it exploded. They continued watching as a man came running out, the expression of fear and grief was evident on his face, until he turned and found the woman alive. He pulled her into a hug and led her back inside the building. By then the security staff were outside looking around and moving along the other cars in search for further explosives. They continued to watch, with Eric fast forwarding until the couple exited and entered a black Audi SQ5 and drove away.

"Do you know who they are? Can you trace where they've gone?" Eric nodded, they kept their voices low, not to disturb Nell.

"It's outside Senator Tate's office. Going by images I've seen of the Senator and his wife, this is them."

Nell watched Sam and Granger do the countdown. "Hold back, something isn't right." Nell's voice came over the comms suddenly. "The heat signatures aren't moving."

Sam and Granger stood and waited.

"It could be a trap." Concern in Nell's voice highlighted the situation to Callen and Eric who walked back over to Nell's station. They studied the satellite imagery, and concluded that Nell's suspicions were right.

"Call the Four Seasons and ask to speak to the occupants in that suite." Eric quickly typed in at his computer and brought up the pseudo names of Dejan and Namena Zivkovich. "Harry and Andrea Taylor."

Nell nodded and spoke officially to reception to be put through to them. The call went through, but no one picked up the phone.

"Pull back, no one is answering." Eric told them instantly when Nell had confirmation. Sam and Granger exited the hotel and sat back out in the challenger.

"Phew!" Nell looked over at Eric and Callen, relieved that she picked up the anomaly.

"We need the bomb squad there now." Callen ordered and rang his partner.

"Stay put and keep watch, wherever they are, they will be near by watching for someone to enter that suite."

"We need the bomb squad to check it out before housekeeping enter." Sam advised his partner.

"Already on it, Sam. Stay safe. There's already been an explosion at Manhattan Beach about fifteen minutes ago. Trying to get to the bottom of it."

"Be careful, G. Don't go alone, take Nell with you for back up."

Callen read Sam into what they had witnessed on the security cameras at the scene of the bombing. "Eric's trying to locate where the couple have gone to. Yeah, sounds like a good plan." He turned to the petite redhead. "Nell, you're coming with me once Eric's found the couple's location."

Nell and Eric looked at each other and knew they were short handed with Deeks and Kensi both recovering from gunshot wounds, and therefore knew that she was needed out in the field.

Eric returned to his search on kaleidoscope and fortunately it pinged. "We're in luck." He pulled up the location. "Marina Del Ray." He brought up camera feeds of the car parked.

Callen picked up the jag in the corner of the camera viewpoint. "Is there another camera in the area?"

"Yes." Eric pulled up another and there in plain sight, was Hetty's jag.

"Can we see where the couple went from the car park?"

Eric returned to the initial camera and found the couple exiting the car and headed out onto one of the jetties. They stopped at a navy yacht which was well known by the seasoned agent. "They climbed on the Lady H." Both Callen and Nell looked at each other and knew instantly that they were meeting Hetty.

"Thanks, Eric. If Hetty calls, don't let her know we've located her." Eric looked up with a quizzical expression, wondering how Callen located Hetty. He looked back at the camera feeds, besides seeing Hetty's car, the woman was no where to be found, unaware of Hetty's yacht. "And call the agents watching the Mitchells and Summers. Tell them that there are more Zivkovichs in town and heighten security."

"Will do, Callen." Eric placed his call and typed in details into his computer.

_Thanks for reading, please leave a review._


	12. Chapter 12

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: There are a lot of questions over who this woman is. You will find out in this chapter. Thank you to those who have left a review, each and everyone have been much appreciated._

**Chapter 12**

**_Marina Del Ray…_**

Hannah led her husband onto the yacht and they were met by Hetty at the doorway, who was surprised that Daniel had come along with her on this occasion.

"Senator, Mrs Tate, welcome onboard my yacht."

"Hello, Hetty." Hannah greeted her with a warm hug.

Hetty noticed the shaking of Hannah's hands as she sat down at the table. She looked with concern over to her and her husband. "Is everything okay?"

Daniel shook his head. "Someone's just tried to kill Hannah."

Hetty's eyes widened as the shock of the morning's event sunk into the Senator's wife. "Oh dear, what happened?" She remained calm for the sake of the woman and her husband.

"I tried to start my car." She looked over at Hetty. "I remember you warning me about this," she choked back a sob, "but I never thought that I would be found, nor that someone would actually plant a bomb in my car." Daniel rubbed his hands up and down her arms for comfort. "I quickly climbed out and ran away, and was thrown into a bush…as it exploded." Tears poured down her face as she retold the story.

"I am so sorry, my dear. I thought we had managed to hide you. I will have to relocate you to a safe house for the time being. I will arrange for someone to collect your children. If your identity has been burned, then they too could also be at risk." She gently placed her hand over the younger woman's hand for comfort.

A noise from above caught Hetty's attention. She placed her fingers over her lips and pulled out her weapon. She moved up the stairs towards the door and pointed it at the figures that moved stealthily out from the side. She sighed with relief when she saw two familiar faces. "Mr Summers, Miss Jones, you might have gotten yourselves shot or killed, sneaking up on me like that. Why on earth did you not call first?"

Callen and Nell relaxed upon seeing the couple safe in Hetty's yacht, but curiosity piqued at their appearance on their Operation Manager's boat. "You turned your cell off, Hetty." Callen responded, annoyed that the duchess of deception was up to something behind their backs, once again. He looked over at the couple and studied their features. He noted the shock on the woman's face and the worry in her husband's eyes. "News of your car exploding came through to our Ops Centre."

The woman looked up, surprised by the visitor who spoke. He looked familiar to her, but she furrowed her brow in confusion. _No, it couldn't be. _

Callen sat where Hetty had been sitting and continued talking with the couple. "I'm Agent Summers, this is my colleague, Nell Jones. Our Technical Operator traced you to this location. Are you okay?" He looked over at her with concern. Something inside of him told him that he should know this woman, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

The woman nodded. "Thank you, Agent Summers."

Daniel looked between the agent and his wife, furrowing his brow. He noted a similarity between them, but knew his wife had no surviving relatives, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Has your office had any threats that stand out that we can look into?" Callen studied the woman, the feelings inside of him stirred.

"We're always receiving threats of one kind or another. We have people looking into it, but nothing to suggest a bomb in my wife's car. This is beyond anything any Senator would receive." Daniel went on to explain. He looked to Hetty and saw her nod in his answer. It was something the older woman had discussed with them once their relationship became public and he applied for office. To keep things on the track of his position and not on who his wife really was. It was for her safety, but now he wondered whether it was too late for that. He wanted to tell the agent before them the truth, but with Hetty's nod of approval, he resisted the urge to tell him.

"Can you arrange for your people to send it through to our Technical Operator? Here is the email address." Daniel nodded and thanked him. Callen stood up and turned his attention to Hetty. "We need to talk." He quietly spoke. "Alone." He nodded in the direction of the jetty and she agreed.

Once away from the yacht, Callen stopped and turned to face her. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking back at Lady H, where Nell kept lookout for the Senator and his wife. "What's going on, Hetty? Why are they meeting you on your yacht? Mrs Tate knew something was wrong just before the car exploded. Now, either she's former military and has been exposed to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan and knew that a bomb was about to explode, or someone has told her to look out for it, which makes me think you know who is after her. Because she doesn't look the military type to me." He stood there, giving her the gorgon stare with his steely blue eyes.

Hetty sighed and shook her head. "I should have known you would come. Nothing passes by you without you knowing, does it, Mr Summers." She took a step closer to her team leader. "Mrs Tate has been in witness protection for most of her life. Senator Tate knows her real identity and gave you the answer I went over with him when their relationship first became public and his yearning to head for office. He's protecting her, so you cannot blame him. I had called the Senator earlier and spoke with his wife, asking her if she could meet me at our usual place." She turned and looked at her yacht. "I had no idea about the plot to kill her, seeing Daniel with her took me by surprise. I've only just been caught up to date on the situation by Mrs Tate just as you arrived."

"Who is she, and who is after her?" Callen demanded.

"It is above my pay grade, Mr Summers. I was asked to keep in contact once I moved back to Los Angeles and joined NCIS. I am aware that witness protection usually comes under the Bureau's jurisdiction, but I was asked by a friend on this one. Someone who I used to work with at the CIA."

"Who?" Callen wanted to get to the bottom of this urgently, to help keep the woman safe. He couldn't understand the drive to do so, but only that he needed to.

"I cannot divulge that information with you, Mr Summers." Hetty stood her ground, and understood his frustration in being kept in the dark.

"You're trying to tell me, that you really have no idea who this woman is?" Callen glared at her, forcing her to look back directly into his eyes for confirmation.

"You will have to ask her yourself." The fact that Hetty did not answer his question, gave Callen the answer he wanted, that she did indeed know who she was and was refusing to divulge.

"I think I will." He stormed off and entered the yacht once again. He quickly calmed his frustrations and sat back down.

"We will need to move you both to a safe house. Do you have any children that we need to collect?"

The couple nodded. "We have four children."

"Okay, we'll need to pick them up on the way to a safe house. Where are they?

"The older two are on orientation in at UCLA, the younger two are at Chadwick in Palos Verdes." The Senator revealed. "Their school started back yesterday." He went on to explain.

Callen thought over the locations of both places. "Senator, if you go with my colleague, Nell will take you to UCLA to collect them. I will take Mrs Tate to collect the younger two and meet you at a safe house." Callen turned to Nell and whispered into her ear, in which she nodded at his instructions.

"But they have their own vehicle…" Daniel Tate paused in mid sentence, his eyes widened with fear and quickly grabbed his phone and dialled a number.

Callen observed the fear in the couple's eyes as he waited for someone to pick up the other end.

"Christian, it's Dad. Is Chloe nearby?"

**_UCLA…_**

Christian Tate sat on the campus lawn enjoying the warm sunshine, sipping an ice coffee as he waited for his twin sister to join him. "Hi Dad. She's meeting me here at any moment. Why, what's up?"

"Neither of you leave the campus. I'm coming with a Federal Agent to take you to a safe location. Do not, I repeat, do not go to your car."

"Dad, you're scaring me. What's happened?" Fear etched in Christian's voice as Chloe came up to join him on the lawn. She saw the fear and scanned the area around them for danger.

"Someone blew your Mother's car up this morning. She's okay, but we cannot take any chances, son." Daniel was glad he chose to ring his son's cell and not his daughter, who wouldn't take this news as well. Hannah and Chloe were very close.

"Can I speak with her?" All sorts of scenarios went through his mind about his mom being injured from the explosion, although his father had told him that she was okay. He needed to know and to hear her voice. "Mom?"

Hannah took the phone from her husband and spoke with him. "I'm okay, Chris, it's okay. I got out before it exploded. But we can't take any chances. Wait till your Father arrives with an Agent. I will meet you somewhere safe soon. I need to go with another Agent to collect Lewis and Evan."

"Will do, Mom. Take care. We love you." He disconnected the call and knew he needed to explain to his sister the situation. He was thankful they were at least alone on the lawn and not in a crowded area.

**_Marina Del Ray…_**

Callen led the woman to his car, without saying a word. He merely looked to his boss and nodded as they walked down the jetty to his Jaguar XKR S COUPE. He climbed in and set the GPS for the school.

Hetty watched them leave with anticipation on how this was going to go down. Although she had told Callen the truth that the woman's identity was above her pay grade, she had worked out who she really was.

Callen remained silent for most of the way, concentrating that they weren't being followed. Satisfied, he pulled over into a car park, not far from their destination. He turned to his passenger and studied her.

Hannah Tate looked back at Callen and knitted her brow together. "Why have you pulled over, it's not much further?"

"I need to ask you a question, before we pick your sons up." He swallowed hard before he continued. He climbed out of the car and stood overlooking the ocean. Hannah followed him to the sand dune. "I need to know your real identity, so we can find the people who are hunting you down."

Hannah raised her brow in surprise. "No one can know, Agent Summers. I'm sure Hetty told you that it's above her pay grade to know my identity. It's the only way we can ensure that I and my family remain safe." Her voice quavered as her emotion took over.

Callen calmly approached the subject again with her. "What happened to your parents and siblings?"

"They were all killed. I am all that is left." A tear ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped it. "I lost my parents and my," she choked on a sob, "baby brother."

Callen's eyes widened as she said her final words. "Amy?" His voice was slightly above a whisper.

Hannah looked at the man beside her, her whole body shook. "Matthew?"

Tears spilled down Callen's cheek as he leaned over and hugged his big sister. Both cried in each other's arms at their reunion, on the top of the sand dune. The ocean breeze blew gently over them, warming their bodies as the sun climbed high into the sky. Their bodies shook from the emotion that rippled through both of them. "We're not all dead, Amy. Only Mom."

Hannah looked up with surprise. "Dad's alive?"

Callen gave a cynical laugh. "Oh yeah, he's very much alive." Callen replied.

"What's wrong?" Hannah looked over at her brother confused.

"Did you know that this month, it's thirty-nine years since we saw our Mother gunned down on the beach?"

"You remember?" Hannah was surprised by this admission by her brother.

"Slowly, but surely, things happen, I meet people, go to places and things start to click into place." Callen took a deep breath in and then released it. "How long did we live with our grandmother, once we were brought to America?" He had many questions and knew she was the best person to ask this particular one.

Hannah thought for a moment and looked up at him. "Two years. Then she died and the police found us and took us away. We were separated and I cried all the time."

"I know."

Hannah furrowed her brow, "You do? How could you?"

"Five years ago, I met Amy Callen. Or so I thought." He looked over at the real Amy, still trying to get his head around the fact that she was in fact alive. "I had forgotten all about you." He bit on his lower lip, trying to hold himself together. "When I found her, she admitted to me that I did have a sister. That you were friends in an orphanage."

"Hannah Lawson." Hannah Tate shook her head in amazement. "You found her?"

Callen nodded. "She told me that you drowned in a river, I visit your grave every week. It still has Hannah Lawson written on it, because I struggled to accept that you were dead." He wiped the tears from her eyes and held her cheek lovingly. "I was right. You weren't dead. Just living as someone else. What happened at the river?"

Hannah sat down on the dune and waited for him to join her. "I did fall in, but someone pulled me out. It took me a few days to recognise him. He came to visit our parents, I think he and Mom were good friends."

"Owen Granger." Another secret Granger had hidden from him.

"You know him?" Callen nodded.

"He's our boss, above Hetty. He's a pain in the butt and annoys the hell out of me and my team. But yesterday, I saw a different side to him. When I realised he knew our parents, knew us. I got angry with him for not telling me." He looked over at his sister shaking his head. "For thirty-seven years, I've lived my life alone. Being shipped off from one orphanage to another. Then Hetty stepped in and tried to find me a family, but by that stage I was difficult and ended up moving between thirty-seven foster homes until I turned eighteen."

Hannah pulled him in and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, baby brother. I thought I had lost you forever. I was told you and Dad were dead."

"By whom?"

"Someone high up in the CIA. Granger's boss. He arranged for me to go into witness protection, seeing it was the CIA operation that had put me in danger. Once Hetty moved to NCIS here in L.A. about ten years ago, Owen asked her to be there for me. I knew she had been friends with our Mom, so we became friends. I never told her who I was, I never thought that she knew about you."

"Oh, believe me, she knows. She knows everything." He looked at his watch and stood up, helping her up. "We better go and get your boys." Hannah nodded and followed him back to his car. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Oh, by the way, I only found Dad yesterday."

"What? How?" Questions tore through her synapses, trying to piece the puzzle of her brother's life and that of her own together.

Callen took a deep breath in. "He found me sixteen years ago but lost his chance to reunite with me. Yet, he's kept in contact with my old partner from when I worked at the Bureau," he paused and Hannah could see he struggled with it all. "Elise and I, we fell in love and had a daughter, Emily. She's fifteen, and I only found out about her yesterday. She's beautiful and looked just like you did at age seven. Emily likes looking at the photos of the two of you when you were seven."

Hannah pulled him in close and hugged him. "You really have been through it all hey, baby brother." She pulled back and studied him. "I'm so sorry that I haven't been there for you. All alone from family. I know what that's like, however, I was given a better life than you were. I at least was kept out of the Foster system."

"Where did you live?" It was a mystery to him, so much of his sister's life was unknown to him.

"Here in Los Angeles, with the Tates. That's how Daniel and I met. His parents took me in and raised me as their niece from D.C." She smiled with fond memories of those years, growing up in the Tate's family home. They welcomed her in as if she was really one of them. When she became an adult, they respected her and treated her like they did with their own children. "Daniel's father used to work in the CIA. But Owen still needed someone to look out for me who hadn't retired, like Brian had. That's why I know Hetty."

"I'm glad for you, Amy. It was no picnic, being thrown around." Hannah hugged him once more before they climbed into the car and headed for the boys' school.

_Well that was a shock, wasn't it? Thank you for your continued support in reading my story. Love to know what you think, please leave a review._


	13. Chapter 13

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your continued support and wonderful reviews. Things get chaotic now._

**Chapter 13**

**_Four Seasons Hotel…_**

Sam and Granger remained on lookout outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The bomb squad arrived and searched the premises for any explosive, after the hotel had been evacuated. They couldn't take any chances on the staff and other guests, incase something did blow.

"I've got eyes on Namena Zivkovich, but I cannot see her brother anywhere." Eric's voice came through on the comms.

"Where, Eric?" Sam searched the crowds of people who stood 100 yards back from the hotel.

"At your four o'clock." Sam and Granger turned and spotted one of their suspects.

The two agents separated into the crowd and came upon the woman on either side. Owen pulled his gun out of his suit jacket and held it into her back.

"Don't move, I am not alone." His gruff voice and the weapon that dug into her back, made her stiffen.

"Who are you?"

"Your worst enemy." Owen handcuffed her and led her through the crowd, with Sam nearby at all times. They couldn't risk a bodyguard emerging out of the crowd and attacking him, allowing the woman to escape. They arrived at the challenger in peace and placed her in the rear seat, strapping her seatbelt on. Sam climbed in, surprising the woman, who up until then, hadn't seen the former Navy SEAL.

"Is there a bomb in your suite?" Owen asked the woman, in a gravelly voice.

Her thick Serbian accent suited her wild dark hair and the deepest brown eyes that they had ever seen. She was like that of a crow caught in a trap.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She tipped her pointed chin upwards in defiance.

"We know who you are, Namena Zivkovich and we know you arrived on a private jet late yesterday with your brother, Dejan. Now, unless you want to join your older brother Javor in the grave,"

"you lie." She spat out in anger.

Owen Granger's lips curled into a smug smile. _Got her._ The woman's anger, swept into her eyes, they became volatile and the fierceness in them got her right where Owen wanted her.

"Your brother, Javor and his associate, Bojan Kostic, were both killed last night, after they killed an American in his own home, yesterday.

The woman thrashed in her cuffs and seatbelt, she twisted her body, trying to escape the restraints.

"I wouldn't bother, Ms Zivkovich. There is nothing you can do to escape us. Now, tell us, are there explosives in your suite." Owen pierced her soul with his stare. He saw defiance and that they weren't going to extract anything from her.

He looked to Sam and nodded. He started the engine and they drove off to the boat shed, ready to further interrogate her there.

"Eric, tell the bomb squad that the woman has refused to cooperate with us."

Owen looked in the rear vision mirror and caught the woman's eyes. Livid fury remained on her face. She was going to be one hell of a suspect to interrogate.

"On it, Sam." Eric made the call to the head of the LAPD bomb squad. "The suspect has refused to cooperate. Proceed with caution."

David Sullivan tensed at the information provided him. He had an exclusive hotel held totally in his responsibility. He'd already had an earful from the owner of the Four Seasons. But he had calmly, yet firmly, explained to the man that if there were explosives wired to go off, he'd lose the whole hotel, if he didn't allow his people to do their job. It was stressful enough, without the added pressure from the pompous balding and plump fifty year old. He disconnected the call and refocused on his team. "We're going in dark, men. Let's get a robot up to the window for a scan of the suite."

Fortunately, the curtains had been opened, it gave them an opportunity to see what they were in for, before they opened the door. A cherry picker had arrived on scene and was parked in position for the robot to be loaded onto it. Carefully, the EOD was placed inside the bucket and the side door secured. As the bucket rose up to the top floor of the hotel, the technician in Sullivan's team operated the EOD to scan the rooms of the suite. Imagery came up on the laptop screen, providing the team with the information they required. Two hostages sat on chairs tied up with silver tape over their mouths. Fear in the man and woman's eyes was caught on screen, when they saw the EOD scanning the room.

"This is one hell of an operation." Sullivan noted as he looked at the wiring that was connected to the door of the room to the hallway. He was relieved now that the NCIS agents had thought better than to enter the suite. With all that he could see, they had one option to enter through the windows. The technician moved the angles of the camera on the EOD and saw that the windows were clear of any wiring. "We're going in, team," his team looked expectantly over to him, "through the windows. The door is wired. We have two hostages tied up inside. But beware of any wiring between you and the hostages as well as any trips to trigger the bomb before you get it disconnected." His team knew the drill and nodded at him. The two specialists geared up in their protective gear and went over with their team leader, the plan of operation.

Eric's phone rang as the head of the bomb squad called him. "Mr Beale, your intel was correct. The suite is wired around the door to the hallway. You made the right call to pull your people out of there. There are two hostages inside, tied to chairs. We are going in through the window. What do you want us to do with the hostages?"

**_Ops Centre…_**

Eric looked at the locations the members of team one were at. Kensi and Deeks were still in hospital, Sam and Granger had one suspect in their custody heading for the boat shed for interrogation. Callen and Nell were busy collecting members of the Senator's family and taking them to a safe house. Other agents were guarding the Mitchell and Summers families at the beach safe house. It left Hetty available to deal with the hostages, until other agents were freed up. "I will speak with Hetty to see who we can send over. Things are chaotic here at the moment."

"Okay, Mr Beale. We'll wait for your call."

Eric hung up and made another call, hoping Hetty had switched on her cell by now. As he waited for her to pick up, the sliding doors to Ops opened and she entered. "Mr Beale." She started to address him, her eyes wide as she looked at the live coverage from the Four Seasons, up on the large screen.

Eric swivelled his chair around, relieved to see her. "I've just been trying to call you. The bomb squad are going in through the windows. The Zivkovich's suite is wired around the door, with two hostages tied up inside the suite. Lieutenant Sullivan wants to know who to pass the hostages off to."

Hetty looked at the feed and the images from the EOD, that Sullivan had patched through to Eric. "What is the status on Mr Hanna and Granger?"

"They've taken Namena Zivkovich into custody, to the boat shed."

"Very well, Mr Beale. I will go." She exited the room and headed back downstairs, she needed a bigger car than her jaguar. She hoped they had enough agents on the ground, all hell was loose in the City of Angels.

**_L.A. General…_**

Deeks was bored out of his mind in the hospital, while Kensi continued to sleep. Lunchtime had come around, and he'd flipped through the channels on the television. A newsflash came up of a car bombing in Manhattan Beach, outside Senator Tate's office. A photo of the Senator and his family was brought up on the screen. The detectives eyes widened at the faces on the screen. He stood up and walked to the screen for a closer look. He wished he was at work or at home, where he could freeze the image. It disappeared too quickly, causing him to flip through channels for more information on it. He dialled Callen, but he didn't pick up. He continued to dial Nell's and Sam's also, with neither picking up their phones. _Something big is going on. _He was about to ring Eric, when another news broadcast came onto the channel he was now on.

"It's been a chaotic morning in Los Angeles." The reporter began. "After a car explosion nearly killing Senator Tate's wife earlier this morning, now the Four Season hotel in Beverley Hills has been evacuated while the bomb squad send a team in through the windows. The feed from the EOD that was sent up in a cherry picker, showed them that the door into the suite is wired to explosives. Two hostages are tied up inside the suite, unable to get out." The blonde woman continued her speech, as it is was the biggest story she'd been given and was making the most of the situation. "The city of Los Angeles has been put on high alert, with the Governor speaking at a media conference shortly, to update the people of L.A. and the nation on the status of the terror threats. I've been told, that if this bomb goes off, the whole building will explode. All staff and guests have been evacuated, and the police have moved the cordoned off area to two hundred yards for safety. All buildings within the two hundred yard area have also been evacuated. But we hope that this doesn't come to that. The LAPD bomb squad are ready to enter and diffuse the bomb as we speak."

In the background, the two bomb disposal specialists were lifted up on the cherry picker, standing inside the bucket. With their gear on, they only just fitted inside it together. The bucket stopped outside a window, allowing them to carefully cut the glass, without sending it shattering inside the suite. One held two suction pads onto the glass, while the other cut the glass around it. The blade cut around the edge near to the stainless steel frame work, allowing them entry, whilst in their gear. The pane of glass was lowered carefully into the bucket and the two men began their slow entry into the suite.

Deeks had had enough watching. His team needed him. He looked over at Kensi and saw that she was still sleeping. Her colour had returned to her complexion, giving him the reassurance that in time she would be fine. He looked inside a cupboard and found his bag with spare clothes inside. He entered the bathroom and changed into his clean set of clothing, careful of his injured arm and exited. He gently brushed his lips on Kensi's temple and started to leave.

"Deeks?" He turned and saw her eyes slightly open.

"You rest, Fern. The team need my help." She furrowed her brow, confused over his need to leave.

"What do you mean?" The reporter's voice continued on the television above her bed and she realised what had caught Deeks' attention. Her eyes moved from the T.V. back to her partner. "They can cope without us, Deeks. You're injured."

"No one is answering my calls, Kens. Which means one thing, they're too busy to answer." He moved back beside her and held her hand in his left. "There was a car explosion earlier today." He looked straight into her eyes. "Senator Tate's wife narrowly escaped being blown up in her car."

"What's that got to do with our current case, Deeks?" She searched his eyes for an answer and knew something he'd seen on the screen had caught his attention.

"The wife and her kids, they look like Callen." Deeks breathed out.

Kensi widened her eyes, and hitched her breath in surprise. "What? You mean to say Callen has more family out there other than his Dad and Emily?"

"Whatever is going on, Kens, they've targeted her. There's no denying that she looks like him. If the Zivkovichs' are after Emily to get back at John, then Callen's in trouble too and I believe that this woman is related and the terrorists have worked out that she's one of them."

"Amy!"

Deeks furrowed his brow at the mention of the name. "What did you just say?"

"Callen had a sister, Amy. When you went deep undercover for LAPD with Jess as your handler, we thought we'd found Callen's sister. It turned out to be another girl from the orphanage where she stayed. Some Iranians were after her, Callen went lone wolf and almost got himself killed to save the woman. If it wasn't for Sam and I turning up when we did," she stopped as another news broadcast came up on the screen, showing the Senator's family. Kensi raised her bed to see it properly. "Whoa!" She turned to Deeks. "You weren't kidding." She furrowed her brow.

"What was the name of this other woman, who took on Callen's sister's name?"

"Hannah Lawson. Her name is on the gravestone. Callen's refused to change it."

"Hannah?" Deeks increased the volume.

"Senator Tate's wife, Hannah, only just escaped her vehicle before it blew up, outside her husband's Manhattan Beach office this morning. The whereabouts of the Tate family is in question after the Senator and his wife disappeared in his vehicle, ten minutes later.

"She's been living with her friend's name for all of these years." Kensi realised.

"Gravestone?"

"The real Hannah Lawson, told Callen that Amy fell into a river one night and she couldn't save her. Her body washed up a month later. Hetty found where she was buried and gave Callen the address. He was being watched at the cemetery, we think it was someone working for Michael Rhinehart."

"I remember now, Callen mentioned his sister's grave. I didn't know any of the details, I just expected it to have happened more recently, not when she was a kid."

"I'm sorry, Deeks, I should have filled you in." She looked back at the camera footage of Hannah Tate running from the car as it exploded. "She's one lucky woman." She turned her attention back to Deeks. "Where's Callen?"

"No idea. But, I'm going to find out."

"Deeks, you have no ride nor can you can't drive with your arm like that."

"I'll catch a taxi down to Venice and see if I can either get to the mission or the boat shed and find some answers. I need to talk to Callen, he needs to know."

"He probably already does, which is why you can't reach him. Call Eric."

"Good idea." Deeks dialled Ops and an exasperated Eric answered the phone.

**_Ops Centre…_**

"This better be important." Eric snapped, over stressed on his own, with a stretch of resources for everything that was going on.

"I'm coming in, Eric. Where's Callen?"

"What? But you're injured." Worry over the detective suddenly took precedence with the Technical Operator.

"I've seen the news, Eric. What the hell is going on out there?"

"Two more members of the Zivkovichs family are in town. Sam and Granger have taken the woman to the boat shed. They set a trap for anyone entering their suite at the Four Seasons, with two hostages inside. Don't know who they are yet, but Hetty's going to pick them up and take them to a safe house. We're running out of safe houses available and stretched to the max. Callen and Nell have split up, taking the Senator and his wife to collect their children and meeting at a safe house, not sure which one yet, Callen's not told me. They can't take them to the boat shed as Sam and Granger are using it."

"So you do need me." Deeks hinted a smile on his lips as he turned to look at the news coverage of the Four Seasons hotel situation. "The reporters believe the two events are related. Are they?"

"Callen seems to think so. As soon as he saw the camera footage of the bombing, he and Nell left for Marina Del Ray. They found them on Hetty's yacht."

"Hetty has a yacht?" Deeks raised his brow, shaking his head in wonder over their Operations Manager.

"Yes, the Lady H."

"Oh I bet Callen wasn't pleased."

"You know Callen, when Hetty or Granger are hiding something from him, it gets his back up."

"I'm checking myself out of here and hitching a ride with a taxi. See you when I get there."

"I'll let Callen know you're on your way." He disconnected the call and redialled Callen's. Frustration washed over him, as Callen refused to pick up. He typed in the team leader's vehicle and cell's GPS', but both had been disconnected. He tried to contact and trace Nell and found the same thing. Both Callen and Nell had gone dark. There was nothing he could do, until he heard from either of them.

_Thank you for your continued support, there's a lot to get through in this tough case, that appears to be coming in from all angles. The team are stretched to the max, can they find the missing brother before he finds Callen's family? Who are the hostages inside the hotel suite? Please leave a review, they are always welcomed._


	14. Chapter 14

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Here's the next part to ch 13. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 14**

As Callen entered the Chadwick School with Hannah, he scanned the area for any suspects. He spotted a familiar face in reception, but didn't acknowledge him. He pulled his camera out and sent a text with a snapshot he'd managed to take without being obvious.

Hannah spoke with the receptionist to collect her sons, stating that they both had orthodontist appointments. The woman nodded and placed calls to each of her son's classes. As they waited, Callen sent Hannah a text to warn her about the other man within the reception area. He saw a flash of fear before she hid it away and waited with bated breath for her younger sons to arrive. Within five minutes, Lewis and Evan came walking out behind the secured sliding door into reception, surprised by their mother's arrival to collect them so early. Callen stood between the man and Hannah as she talked with her sons, explaining how she forgot about their orthodontist appointment. She ushered them outside, with Callen walking behind, to protect them. The man exited the building, but kept his distance. Callen pressed the button on the remote for his car to unlock it, then Hannah ushered them inside.

The boys climbed in and were puzzled over the mystery man who had come with their mom. They were accustomed to tightened security now and then due to their father's high profile as a senator, however, the man driving was not dressed in a suit, like the others had been.

"Hope you're buckled up, we've got company." Callen drove over the speed humps on the school grounds and continued slowly down the hill through the side streets, before hitting Palos Verdes Drive, heading north. Then and only then, did he hit hard on the accelerator. He needed to be away from the school before he let onto the suspect that he knew who he was. He took the road winding towards the Pacific, before heading east again. He knew these streets well, and planned in his head his tactical moves to lose him. Hannah and the boys held on tight, with excitement and nerves intertwined inside of them. The boys watched the mystery driver spin quickly as they turned the corner, onto side streets, back onto major roads, crossing over quickly, narrowly escaping collision with another vehicle. The tyres screeched and smoke billowed out, as they tore around corner after corner. Callen remained focused, constantly planning his next move. He looked in the mirrors for the tail, knowing that at any moment they would be found again. The boys thought that they were in the midst of a Fast and Furious movie, waiting for Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Conner to appear beside them.

"Everyone stay low." Callen demanded and spun the car in the opposite direction, before heading up the 107 towards the city. "Eric, I've got Dejan Zivkovich on my tail. I can't lose him. I need backup."

"Callen, I've been trying to contact you. I'll see what I can do, LAPD are busy with the bomb threats from this morning."

Both boys looked across at each other, worried.

"What bomb threats are you talking about, Eric?" He was only aware of the situation at Manhattan Beach, where he almost lost his sister.

"Nell was right about the Zivkovichs' suite at the Four Seasons. Two hostages are being freed as we speak. A man and a woman, from what Hetty's advised me, they are a husband and wife, in their seventies. The door was wired, the bomb squad have gone in through the window using a cherry picker." Callen looked worriedly into the rear vision mirror at his nephews, neither of whom had yet been told of the situation on their mother or who he was. He saw the concerned looks on the boys who were wondering what was going on.

"There is no orthodontist appointment, is there, Mom?" Lewis asked, realising that they had been collected to be taken to a safe location, but now were being followed by someone whom the driver was trying to escape.

Hannah shook her head. "No, there isn't. I'm sorry I had to lie to you back there, but there was a man in reception who is after us."

The boys held on tight as Callen continued with tight turns off the main roads onto more side streets. The buildings became a blur to them as they focused on the next move of the vehicle.

"Callen, Sam's on his way, we've got your GPS tracker back online." Eric quickly patched Sam's GPS in sync with Callen's to help him find them. "Another team of agents are also on their way, but they'll take another ten minutes after Sam to get to you. I'm still trying to get LAPD involved."

"Thanks, Eric." Callen moved again, this time into a block of side streets to the east, making his way closer to downtown Los Angeles. The risk of traffic being congested was high, but also gave him more alley ways and undercover car parks to hide in. He saw his chance and took the opportunity to go inside a private car park. Dejan hadn't caught up as yet, so he took the chance that they had gone in unseen. He parked the car and told them to sit low in the vehicle. They waited, his heart continued on beating fast, remaining on guard as time passed. Another vehicle descended into the car park. He peered out and saw it was Sam. Relief washed over him. "It's okay, it's my partner." Hannah and her sons sat back up, relieved that they had escaped, for now.

Callen climbed out of his jag and walked over to his partner. "Thanks for coming, Sam." He turned back and looked over at his sister and nephews, to reassure him that they were indeed safe.

"You going to fill me in on what's going on?" Sam searched his partner's eyes for details, but all he could see was fear for the occupants. "Who are they?"

"Senator Tate's wife and her younger two sons. Nell's gone with the Senator to pick up the older two at UCLA."

Sam furrowed his brow, he felt like he was out of the loop on what was going on with his partner. The last time he had spoken with him he was searching for the Senator and his wife. Now he had the wife and two kids in tow. "I'm missing something, G."

Callen sighed. "Eric traced her and her husband to Hetty's yacht. We're on our way to take them to a safe house."

"We're already two agents down from last night, G. Granger told you to go and spend time with your father and Emily. Why have you gotten yourselves involved with this case? This should be left to the FBI."

"No, Sam. This has everything to do with our case. That was Dejan Zivkovich, who was following us. He had made it as far as the boys' school. I found him in reception." Fear flashed across his face as he retold the events. The adrenalin continued to surge through his body, tensing his muscles as he stood beside his partner.

"Hang on a minute, G." Sam raised his brow. "The Zivkovichs' are after the Senator and his family too?"

"Particularly the wife." Callen reiterated.

"Why the wife?"

"Because she's my sister." Sam's eyes widened, he looked over to the car, searching for the woman who sat in the front passenger seat.

"Amy?"

Callen nodded. "I had no idea at first. My gut instincts told me to find her, after we watched the camera footage of the blast. She knew the car was about to blow. After we traced them to Hetty's boat, I still had no idea who she was. Hetty told me that the woman had been placed in witness protection most of her life and that her real identity was above her pay grade. But here's the thing, Sam." Callen looked intently to the former SEAL. "Hetty had contacted her just before the bomb went off. She knows who Hannah really is. She may not have been told, but she worked it out. That must have been the reason for her call." He blew out a breath and continued. "I pulled over on the way to the school and asked her about her real identity, but she told me she couldn't. That it wasn't safe. So I asked her what happened to her family. She thought we were all dead. It wasn't until she said that she'd lost her baby brother, did I know for sure that it was her."

"Did you tell her?" Callen nodded. A smile grew on Sam's face. Within two days, his partner had found three blood relatives. His father, his daughter and now his sister and her family. "How many kids does she have?"

"Four."

Sam added the numbers up in his head. "That's seven blood relatives in two days, G. That's huge."

Callen smirked. "I know. But the boys, we haven't told them yet."

Sam nodded. "Okay, G. Your secret is safe with me. Which safe house were you planning on taking them to?"

"Hetty's house on Doheny Road. We need somewhere more secluded than our usual safe houses, due to the Senator's high profile."

"Have you told Hetty this yet?" Sam asked him, slightly amused.

Callen shook his head. "Not yet."

"Don't you think you should give her a heads up?"

Callen thought about it for a moment. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, probably." He pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialled his boss.

**_Non-disclosed property in Beverley Hills…_**

"Mr Summers, it's so good to hear that you and your charges are safe. What can I do for you?" Hetty had been briefed by Eric on her way to her home with the hostages. She had been surprised and unnerved when she recognised the couple who had been tied up in the Four Season's hotel. She instantly decided her house was the safest place to take them.

"Is it okay with you to take the Tates' to your home on Doheny Road? With the Senator's high profile, I thought a more secluded location would be safest for the family." He wondered why his nerves were on edge as he asked her.

A smile graced Hetty's lips as she heard his request. "Yes, of course, Mr Summers. Bring them here. I will be waiting."

Callen furrowed his brow in confusion over her words. "You're there now?"

"Yes, I am." She looked over at the couple as they settled out in the garden amongst the roses. They sat under the gazebo, drinking some ice tea and enjoying the freedom again. "You will find me out by the roses."

"Thanks, Hetty."

Sam watched the bewildered expression on his partner's face. "What's up, G?"

"I don't know how she does it?" Callen widen his eyes as his synapses brought information through the compartments in his brain to make sense of the woman. "She's there, now, waiting." He shook his head. "I don't know how she does it?"

Sam chuckled. "Told you that she's a riddle, wrapped up in an enigma."

Callen refocused on the occupants of his car and then turned back to his partner. "You'll have to take them for me, Sam. Zivkovich has seen me and my car, he'll be looking out for it. It's not safe." He looked up the driveway that brought them into the small car park. "He could be anywhere waiting for me."

Sam shook his head. "No, G. You take them, you're in danger too. Take my car." He handed over to him his keys.

"You sure, this is your baby." Callen knew it was a big give on his partner's part to offer him the keys to his challenger.

"Just don't get the rear window smashed in again. Or it's coming out of your wages in full." Callen nodded and smirked at the memory from his awesome driving, when their suspects managed to get behind them and he happened to be behind the wheel of the challenger.

"I'll try." He threw him his keys and walked over to his jag. "We're swapping cars."

Hannah, Lewis and Evan climbed out of the jag. The boy's eyes nearly popped out when they saw the black challenger. "Cool!"

Sam chuckled as he climbed in behind the wheel of Callen's jag. It wasn't his type of car, but at least it wasn't Nell's mini cooper. He'd struggle to fit behind the wheel of that tiny car.

Callen exited and drove in a round about way across to Beverley Hill, to their predestined location. The wrought iron gates opened as he arrived, knowing that Hetty was watching from a hidden security screen. He continued up the driveway and parked outside the front entry to the French limestone property. The tropical garden was lush and he had many fond memories of his overnight stays in this particular house. So far, no enemies of his families had discovered this hidden treasure on one of Beverley Hills' most sought after addresses. He lead Hannah and the boys up the steps to the front door and unlocked the door with his own set of keys. The vines that had crept over the front of the building for many years gave the feel of some far away land. A resort on a secluded island somewhere in the Caribbean. Yet the building's influence was more European in architecture than that of the Cuban influence that the garden possessed. It never surprised the seasoned agent how Hetty had managed to merge the two worlds together in this Los Angeles location.

Hannah, Lewis and Evan followed him through the venetian walled home, out to the rear and exited the glass doors towards a gazebo. Hetty waved to them as they appeared.

"Grandma? Papa?" The boys ran over to their grandparents, surprised to see them there also. "When did you get here?"

Brian and Audrey Tate stood and hugged their younger grandsons. "Hello dears." Audrey checked each one of them over to make sure that they were safe.

Callen looked to Hannah and Hetty for answers. "They are Daniel's parents." Hannah revealed, although she was also surprised to see them there. She walked over to them and greeted the couple with a warm hug.

"Mr Summers, if you don't mind, I need a private word with you." Callen nodded and re-entered the house with his boss.

"Why are the Senator's parents' here, Hetty?" He was surprised enough to know that the old spy was already at the address he'd chosen to take the Tate's to, let alone that she had guests who happened to be the boys' grandparents.

"They've had a rough day." Hetty poured some fresh ice tea into two glasses and handed one to him. "Dejan and Namena kidnapped them and tied them up inside the Four Seasons hotel suite. The front door was wired, ready to blow when someone entered the suite. I decided here was the most safest and relaxing place to take them, to help them recover.

Callen's eyes widened, he'd heard briefly from Eric when we was fleeing Dejan. "You know them?"

Hetty nodded. "I used to work with Brian many years ago and I've gotten to know Audrey of more recent years through Hannah."

"You mean Amy." Callen studied her closely as Hetty realised he had worked out that she knew who Hannah really was and that he knew also.

"We must remain vigilant, Mr Summers, in not divulging that information to anyone."

"I think it's too late for that now, Hetty. The Zivkovichs have worked out who she is. Everyone in my family are in danger from them. I need to bring Emily and my Father here to protect them in the one place."

I think you may be right, though. I'll call Owen and make plans to move the Mitchells and the rest of your family here.

He looked around. "Nell's not arrived yet?"

"No, she hasn't. Hetty returned Callen's worried look. "Call her Mr Summers."

Callen nodded and dialled Nell's cell. "Hey, Callen, almost there. Be there in five."

"Be safe, Nell, we were followed. Had to swap cars with Sam." Thinking upon his partner, he ended the call with Nell and dialled Sam.

"Hey, G. Get there okay?"

"Car's in one piece, Sam. You okay?"

"Yeah. Wherever Dejan went, you lost him good this time. No tails back to the boat shed. I never got to tell you that we have his sister in custody. Granger is working hard to get intel out of her. But she's one wild and defiant woman." Sam watched from the main room in the boat shed on the camera feed from one of their interrogation rooms. Granger's patience was running thin.

"I'm glad. Nell's almost here. Expect Hetty to call Granger soon, to arrange for the Mitchells and Summers to be moved here. It will be easier to protect them in the one location." Callen watched Hetty rejoin his sister and family. It was obvious that his boss knew Hannah and the older couple, but was a stranger to the boys. But she slotted in well in entertaining her guests perfectly.

_ Thanks for your continued support. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	15. Chapter 15

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_ A/N: Just when you think a happy family reunion is about to take place, well think again. There is a case on deck that's keeping the team busy. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 15**

Callen took the opportunity of Hetty's distraction to leave the property and drove off to the other safe house. He hoped that whoever had leaked his sister's real identity had no knowledge of the safe house on the beach. He knew it was another of Hetty's properties, but he wasn't as confident that it's location was as secure as the one he had just left.

**_Beverley Hills…_**

Senator Daniel Tate pulled into the driveway of the Doheny Road property, from Nell's directions. He parked his car beside the entrance to the grand building and climbed out. He looked around, impressed by the property and was curious from his own perspective on moving into this much sought after location, after the explosion in Manhattan Beach that morning. Yet he knew the cost of such property would be out of his reach.

Nell lead Daniel, Christian and Chloe to the front door and pressed the buzzer. She was surprised to see the driveway empty, knowing that Callen had called to tell her that he had made it safe in Sam's challenger. Yet it was the presence of their Operations Manager that puzzled her. "Hetty."

"Miss Jones. Senator." She smiled at her guests and led them through to the rear. "Your wife and sons are out back with your parents."

Daniel Tate tilted his head at the petite woman. "You brought them here too? You think that they're in danger also?"

Hetty's expression fell and nodded. "Indeed they are, Senator. Whoever has revealed your wife's true identity has placed all of you in grave danger."

Daniel placed his hand onto her arm. "You know who she really is?"

Hetty nodded and a small smile appeared. "It didn't take me long, Daniel, to know who she really is. She reminds me so much of her mother, although she looks very much like her father and brother."

"So it's true then. The agent who arrived on your yacht earlier, he's her brother?"

Hetty's smile grew, spreading to her eyes. "Yes. You noticed the family resemblance too." She looked to Christian and Chloe, who had puzzled expressions on their faces from the discussion between their father and the lady of the house. "It is nothing to worry about, my dears. Your mother has been reunited with her brother this morning. We'll all do our best to ensure you remain safe from whoever is after your mother." She pointed to the gazebo and watched the older children join their mother in a comforting hug, relieved that she was safe after her ordeal.

"Where is he?" Daniel looked around expecting to see his wife's brother. He remembered those same piercing blue eyes that his wife and sons possessed, in the agent.

Hetty looked around and realised he was no where to be seen. She looked to Nell. "Miss Jones, did Mr Summers tell you that he would be going somewhere?"

Nell had remained quiet up to that point absorbing the conversation between her boss and the Senator. She had noticed the similarity also with the Senator's wife and older son, Christian, but after all the searching she had done for Callen off the clock, she had never thought that they would ever actually find his sister. Ever since she had known him, it had been her little project to help Callen find any family. He refused to believe that Amy was really dead. He admitted to her, when she had asked him why he thought she was still out there, that in his gut he believed that she was still alive. And she knew from the years on the team to trust Callen's gut instincts. How many times had Callen head butted against Granger because Granger wanted to go against Callen's gut and he was right? She had lost count and saw the respect Owen Granger now had for their team leader. Then Callen told her about the time he had bumped into Hetty at the cemetery and how Hetty had asked him directly why he hadn't changed the gravestone to his sister's name. When he had admitted to her that he believed her to be out there somewhere, Hetty's reaction told him that he had been right. Hetty had quickly changed the subject and he had let her. He knew Hetty had more answers for him and would continue to shadow her in hope that he would find the truth. Nell had agreed to assist him, seeing she too had developed a close relationship with the former spy legend. Together they had spent many hours into the night searching and tracing Hetty's steps, but had come up blank. Now here she was at the same location with the real Amy Callen and her family. The electrical current surged through her synapses, placing all the intel in with her previous knowledge and analysing all the data together. _Hetty was never told who Hannah Tate really was, but had concluded that she really was Amy Callen/Summers. _She took a deep breath to answer her boss with a look of surprise in her eyes. She shook her head. "No. I was expecting him to be here." She felt a pang of jealousy that he hadn't added her into his plan and concluded that he still hadn't built enough trust for her to tell her. "I'll call him." She picked up her cell and dialled the number, while Hetty led the Senator outside to rejoin with the rest of his family.

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Deeks entered the sliding doors into Ops surprising Eric, who was engrossed in his search for Dejan Zivkovich. The team of agents whom he had sent out to support Callen had gone on a hunt for the vehicle description and partial number plate given to him by Callen. So far they had come up blank.

"What's up, me man?" Deeks looked happy to be out of the hospital, but the side effects of the pain relief was still in his system.

"Should you be in here?" Eric looked up at him with concern.

"If no one knows, where's the harm. Now from what I've seen on the news, I'd say that there's a lot to update me with." Deeks sat in Nell's chair, swivelling it from side to side.

"You're not kidding. Talk about bad timing with you and Kensi being out of action. We've had to call in agents from other teams to help us. Callen was being chased by Javor's brother, Dejan, who arrived early this morning on a private jet with his sister, Namena. Granger's interviewing the sister, but she's difficult to say the least. Sam had to help Callen and they've swapped cars, to get Senator Tate's wife and younger sons to a safe house, which he's not yet told me which one. Nell's gone with the Senator to collect their older children at UCLA."

"And Hetty?"

Eric looked over at the detective. "Not sure. She's been dark for most of the day, and so have Callen and Nell. I've not heard from them other than when Callen needed backup and when Hetty returned to the mission briefly and called me after picking up the hostages."

"Have you tried to see if any of them have made a call or received one?" Deeks watched Eric bash the palm of his hand onto his forehead.

"Thanks, Deeks." Eric quickly typed in their cells and brought up their locations. "Callen was at this point when he called Hetty, who was at this location in," Eric squinted and looked at the map closely, "is that Doheny Road in Beverley Hills?"

Deeks took a closer look also and nodded his head. "Looks like it. Do we have any safe houses there?"

Eric shook his head. "No we don't. We can't afford a safe house in that location, we're talking about houses that go for around the ten million dollar mark and even higher."

"No kidding. Any more calls?"

Eric typed in the parameters and brought up locations for Callen and Nell. "Callen was at the same location as Hetty was earlier, when he called Nell, who wasn't that far away."

"Well then Watson, I'd say you've found where they've gone to. Good work, chap." Deeks grinned and swivelled some more in Nell's chair.

"You sure you're okay, Deeks?" Eric looked at him amazed that he was functioning at all.

"Other than a hole in my arm? And that my partner is suffering in pain from being shot in her hip, yeah sure."

"Go home, Deeks or go back to Kensi. I think we can hold the fort for now, but thanks for thinking of us and wanting to help."

"Well I did want to speak with Callen."

"Callen?"

"Yeah. The Senator's family look a lot like him." Eric raise his brow, "let me have a look." He brought a family photo up of the Tate's onto the large screen. "Whoa! You're not kidding. Surely Callen must know and see what we see, right?" He looked sideways over to Deeks.

"That's what Kensi said. But I just wanted to make sure. She told me about his sister, Amy."

"That's exactly who she is." Both men turned and looked at the former Navy SEAL as he entered Ops. "But no one is to know who she is." He looked at both of them stressing the importance of it. "G said that her real identity was above Hetty's pay grade, but she had worked it out. So we are still to treat her as Hannah Tate."

"Isn't it too late for that, Sam?" Deeks may still have remnants of the morphine in his system, but he wasn't a great detective for nothing.

Sam's cell rang and saw it was Callen. "Hey, G, what's up?"

"I need to arrange for the Mitchells and Summers to the Doheny Road address. Can you meet me the beach house?"

"You've left your sister alone with Hetty?" Eric and Deeks looked at each other and knew for certain that Callen did indeed know who Hannah Tate really was.

Callen sighed. "What am I to worry about? She's been looking out for her for the past ten years. Plus Nell will be there by now anyway." He smiled to himself thinking of the redhead analyst. He had managed to have her help him without placing her in any danger and that he felt had been a great achievement. He'd taken Amy to collect her sons and faced the danger and was glad in the end it had worked out that way and not the other. There was no way Nell could have pulled off the same with the Senator and two older children than what he managed to do in his jag. "We can swap back our cars too."

Sam nodded. "Okay, G. I'll see you in about ten." He looked at the detective swivelling in Nell's chair. "Go back to Kensi, Deeks. She needs you there. We're fine."

Deeks stood and swayed. "Like hell you are. You're stretched to the max, you need me." Sam grabbed his left arm and steadied him.

"Not like this you aren't." Sam furrowed his brow in concern for the detective. "You need to rest. Don't be like my partner and refuse the help. Get better so we can use you when you're fully recovered. "I'll drop you off around the corner." Sam looked over to Eric. "Can you arrange for a taxi to take Sonny here back to Cher?"

A smile crept onto Eric's lips as he nodded and made the call.

"Come on, Deeks. Time for you to go back to where you came from." Sam led Deeks carefully down the stairs and into Callen's jag.

Deeks looked at the vehicle and frowned. "Where's your challenger?"

"Callen's got it." Sam explained and started the engine.

Deeks managed to pull his seatbelt on careful of his injury. He winced when he knocked his arm on the inside of the door. _Perhaps Sam is right, _ he mused. But he really was going crazy hanging around at the hospital. Unless you were seriously injured or very sick, hospitals bored you to death. He conclude it was the nurses efforts to make you leave as soon as possible. And the food was nothing to write home about either.

Sam drove the few blocks to meet with the taxi. When he watched his colleague leave in safe hands, he drove off to meet his partner, constantly looking for tails as he drove.

As Deeks rested in the rear seat of the taxi, he dosed off, unaware that the taxi driver looked familiar and had gone in a completely different direction to L. A. General Hospital, to an undisclosed location.

_This doesn't look good for Deeks. Whose taken him? Love to know you're thoughts. Please leave a review._


	16. Chapter 16

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for those wonderful reviews. Now for Deeks, poor guy has drawn the short straw in this story. _

**Chapter 16**

**_Undisclosed location…_**

Deeks felt pain in his injured arm when he came to. It took him a moment to realise that he was no longer in a taxi and wasn't at L.A. General either. He moved to make his arm more comfortable but couldn't. Both hands were tied above his head onto a pipe. A slither of sunlight shone through a vent, giving him enough light to see that he was inside a disused warehouse. Layers of dirt covered the concrete floor which made his legs and bottom ache and cold to the bone. He tried to stand to relieve the pain in his arm, but as he tried to move, he cried out in pain and gave up trying again.

He could hear footsteps on the other side of the door and knew he had alerted his kidnapper to him being awake. A jangle of keys was heard before the squeaking sound of the door handle turning and more sunlight entered into the room, surrounding the dark figure in front of him like a halo. Deeks squinted his eyes from the brightness, looking away from this captor.

"I see that you're now awake, Detective Deeks." Deeks fisted his hands in the cufflinks that his captor had used to tie him up. His own cuffs had been used, he realised and groaned when the face of the man came into view. Eric had shown him the photos of Javor's younger brother and sister in Ops, so he knew who had taken him, Dejan Zivkovich. He also knew that the Serbian had pulled his identification from his rear pocket of his jeans, to know who he was. But he was glad at that moment that it didn't show that he worked for NCIS and hoped that their suspect hadn't made the connection either. If he could keep his colleagues safe to finish their jobs, then he knew he only had to survive until help arrived and they would win again. He kept his expression to that of confusion, pretending he had no knowledge of who Dejan was and why he had been taken.

"Who are you?" His voice was croaky and could feel sweat bead on his forehead and on the back of his neck. Deeks knew that this wasn't good. His wound had picked up an infection and he would deteriorate fast if he didn't get antibiotics into his blood stream fast.

Dejan laughed. "Surely you know who I am? I saw you climb out of that jaguar."

Marty Deeks creased his brow in confusion. "What jag? I don't own a jag." He paused in mid sentence and his mind returned to Eric's information that he'd passed onto him earlier. _Sam had to go to Callen's rescue when Dejan Zivkovich tailed him from the boys' school._ The he remembered Sam explaining why he and Callen had swapped cars.

"No, you don't, Detective. But you know who does. Now I want the name of the man driving the Senator's wife this morning. Information for your life." Dejan's thick Serbian accent roared through his voice as he showed that he meant business.

"What? No. I don't know who owns it." Deeks' response was replied with a hand slap across his face, knocking his head to the side and sending more pain up his injured arm. "A friend wanted me to go back to hospital, he borrowed it from a friend. I tell you the truth. Why would I know anymore, I've been in hospital." There was no way that he was going to reveal either of Callen's identities. He knew that each vehicle they drove was registered under another alias anyway and if push came to shove, he could always give Callen's alias' to the Serbian. It would be the truth and if Dejan was able to inquire further, he would see that he hadn't lied to him.

"I want a name or I will slowly inflict pain on you till you can no longer scream." Deeks knew he wasn't joking around, but he still refused to reveal Callen's identity. He kept his mouth shut tight and jaw clenched in defiance.

Dejan saw that the detective wasn't going to tell him. He shrugged and a hostile expression appeared on his face. "Very well then." He pulled the detective into standing position and pulled out a sharp double edged knife. All Deeks could think of was the knife Kensi had given him for safe keeping and realised the knife was missing from the inside of his left leg. He concluded that it must have been removed when he was admitted to hospital and found himself unarmed and staring at his captor's knife.

Dejan saw the fear in the detective's eyes but also a defiance that reminded him very much of his sister. He hadn't heard from her in hours and was about to call her, when he heard his prisoner had woken from his sleep. He brought the blade up close to his face and roughly pulled at the beard on his jawline.

Deeks caught his breath as the Serbian ran the edge of the blade over his jaw, removing his beard as he went. Slowly, piercing his skin, causing it to bleed as he continued. Deeks stayed as still as his body would allow him, knowing any movement would cause more infliction. Dejan continued as Deeks chose to close his eyes and think of the one person who could get him through this: Kensi.

A scream of pain escaped Marty's mouth as Dejan ran the blade down his throat, in fear that he would be dead before his team even knew that he had been captured. He had no idea how long it had been since he climbed inside the taxi or if anyone knew he was missing. Sweat poured down his face from fear and the infection in his arm.

"If you kill me, you will never know." At last Marty called out. A chill ran down his spine as the blade continued down his throat, with each stroke made by Dejan. From his jaw and throat, he felt jabs of pain as the blade grazed his skin. But this time the knife dug deeper and lower onto his chest. His shirt had been ripped open, the buttons scattered on the floor and his blue t-shirt ripped under the strains of the blade. His breathing became rapid as memories of torture under the guise of Sidorov returned. "NO!" He shouted as the blade of the knife continued south to his navel. Sharps surge of pain followed the trail of the blade cutting deeper into his abdomen. His brain went black as his body collapsed from the strain of the torture. It was too much for the detective and the last thing that went through his mind was his beautiful partner, Kensi.

**_Beach Safe House, two hours earlier…_**

Sam pulled up outside the Palisades Beach house and smiled over to his partner. He had to admit he was pleased to be getting his girl, Gabriella back. He hadn't told anyone the name he had chosen for her, unlike Charlene, this one had a dark horse appearance and needed a name that reflected her personality. He'd mulled over the name years before and decided the name suited her. Callen had tried to pry the name out of him, but incase the G stood for Gabriel, he couldn't tell him. But it had crossed his mind that perhaps his partner's mysterious past had influenced his choice in name. However, as it had turned out, the G wasn't anything to do with his name at all. It was Matthew. He shook his head in amusement and tried to picture him ever calling him Matthew or Matt. He could do Matt, but M just didn't have the same ring about it as G did. To him, his partner would always be G.

"Hey, G. Glad to see you've kept her in one piece." Callen threw him the keys and smirked in return, glad he had managed to take good care of Sam's car.

"You know, you have to tell me her name now, Sam. You agreed to tell me once I found out my name." He leaned on the driver side door and gently rubbed the roof with his hand, feeling the warmth of the sun on her black metallic finish.

Sam shook his head and chuckled. "You never miss a beat, G." He looked over at his partner and smile. "Gabriella."

Callen raised one brow, curious. He looked at the black beauty and nodded. "It suits her." His smile broadened and knew that his partner had chosen the name because of him. He could see it in Sam's soft brown eyes, the love his brother had for him. "Let's get them moved, shall we?"

They walked inside to meet them, finding the three girls swimming in the pool. The day was as hot as it gets in August at ninety-one degrees fahrenheit. The ocean breeze blew through the house, bringing some relief to the agents. John Summers spotted his son immediately and smiled over to him, unaware of the day's developments. "Hey, son. It's good to see you."

Callen looked over to Emily squealing with delight as Warren Mitchell squirted her with a water gun. He was distracted from his father for a moment, watching her return fire. A smile graced his lips as he enjoyed the happy moment. But he knew this was short lived and returned his attention back to his father. "We have to move you all to a more secure location." He was back in agent mode which brought a frown on his father's appearance.

"I thought we were safe here. What's going on?" He hadn't heard from Owen since leaving the boat shed the night before and wondered what had transpired.

Callen looked to Sam who got the message to leave them be. He urged his father to a quieter part of the beach house and closed the door. "We killed Javor Zivkovich and his hired hit man last night. Two members of our team were injured."

"Well that's great, son. Not for your colleagues, but that should mean that the threat has been eliminated." He saw his son's expression darkened and worry returned to the pit of his stomach. "What haven't you told me?" He caught his son's eyes and saw fear in them.

"Two more of the Zivkovichs arrived this morning. Dejan and his sister, Namena. We have the sister in custody, but she's not talking. Apparently they kidnapped the parents of a Senator and tied them up in the Four Seasons Hotel this morning, the door wired to explode. Their daughter-in-law was almost killed when her car was wired to explode on starting the ignition. She survived only because she had been warned of such a threat happening and fled the car in time." Callen needed to breathe before he continued.

"Who are these people? Why are they after this Senator's family as well as ours? I don't understand." John watched a mixture of emotions spread across his son's face before he quickly hid it behind a stern face.

"Their target is the Senator's wife. She's been in witness protection since she was eleven." He paused, hoping his father could put the pieces together and not need for him to explain it further, but all he could see was confusion on his face. "It's Amy, Dad. Amy is alive."

John's mouth dropped open in shock, this is not what he had expected to hear. The girl he had found with his daughter's name told him she had drowned. "Amy is alive?" He sat down on the chair behind him as he tried to process the news. His heart swelled with relief that she was indeed alive and well, but fear of her safety grew within him.

"I've relocated her and her family to a more secure location. It's more secluded than this beach house." He looked at his father and saw he was struggling to process the news like he had earlier that day. "I need to move you all to the same location. Our resources are stretched as it is. It will be easier if you are all at the one location."

John stood and walked over to his son and hugged him. Tears fell freely now, knowing that his children had been reunited and both were alive and well. "Take me to her, son."

Callen wasn't used to being hugged, except for the moments after Sam had narrowly saved his life, or when Gibbs had urged him to open up a little, although both men were not the usually touchy feely kind of men. But they had been through so much together over the years, they were like family, yet he still had walls erected around his heart when it came to his father. He had allowed his defences to fall when he hugged his sister earlier, but he couldn't let his own father in, not yet anyway. He stood there stiff as his father wrapped his arms around him and allowed him to cry on his shoulder. He only nodded, unable to speak any further.

_It's not looking good for Deeks at all. We can only hope the team realise that Deeks never made it to the hospital and that he's been kidnapped by their missing suspect. Love to hear what you think. Please leave a review._


	17. Chapter 17

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your reviews, it's been great to hear your thoughts on what's been going on. Let's hope Deeks is found soon._

**Chapter 17**

The move of the Mitchell and Summers families went without a hitch. Callen left the agents to move them and told Sam he was going to check in with Eric for more updates on the missing brother. Sam decided to go and see how Deeks was, as he was worried about him after he had discharged himself earlier. He pulled up outside L.A. General and entered. He was surprised to see Kensi alone in their room.

Her face brightened when she saw him, she was bored now that she was awake. "Hey, Sam. Where's Deeks?" She looked behind him expecting Deeks to return with him. Her heart sunk when she couldn't see him.

Sam's eyes widened and worry entered them for the detective. "He's not here? I sent him back here over an hour ago in a taxi." He quickly pulled out his cell and dialled Eric.

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Eric was updating the lack of results in finding Dejan Zivkovich with Callen when Sam called.

"Eric, we need a trace on the taxi that picked up Deeks about eighty minutes ago. He never made it back to the hospital." Callen and Eric looked at each other with concern.

"I'm on it, Sam." Eric typed away with Callen situated at Nell's computer to help the technical operator. Eric brought camera feed up of when Deeks climbed inside the taxi.

Callen pointed to the driver. "Zoom in on him." Eric brought the image up of the driver and fear for the detective grew within them. "It's Dejan. He's got Deeks."

Sam listened in on his cell, but quietly kept his worry for Deeks to himself, as he didn't want Kensi worrying anymore about him. He turned to face Kensi and placed a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Kens, we'll find him. I've got to go." He felt guilty for what happened to Deeks, seeing it was him who took him to the drop off point.

"Can you put a trace on his location, Eric?" Callen asked him, as they placed a trace for the taxi in kaleidoscope.

"His cell is switched off, let's hope his watch GPS tracker is working." Eric slammed his hand down on his desk with frustration. "Damn it. It's been disabled."

The one thing Callen had discovered with the Zivkovichs since hearing about them the day before, was that they were professional and well planned in their attack. Each time they had gone after someone involved with a member of his family, they had been successful. "Let's place a search for the last locator on both his cell and watch before they went dead."

"Good thinking, Callen." Eric entered the parameters into the system and found both GPS locators in the same area. Kaleidoscope pinged and brought up camera footage of the taxi driving to a warehouse in Vernon on E 44th Street. "There's an abandoned warehouse there, it's not been used in five years."

"Send the co-ordinates to Sam. I'll meet him there. Get Brentwood's team in as well for back up and anyone available from LAPD. But no sirens or we could lose Deeks." Eric nodded and got to work, while Callen descended the stairs and entered the armoury. It was strange for the team leader to be in there alone when preparing for a rescue mission, but with their team stretched to the max, there was no choice. He grabbed the gear and ammunition he, Sam and Brentwood's team would need and headed out the door.

It took Sam a third of the time to reach the warehouse compared to Callen's journey, so he took the time to check the perimeter out before his partner arrived. Brentwood's team arrived first and he went over the details of entry points to the warehouse. Eric called through and told him where the heat signatures were inside, at the back of the property. They needed to block Dejan's exit and to ensure they got Deeks out. Callen sped along the Marina freeway and Slauson Avenue to Vernon and hoped he wouldn't be pulled over by some over enthusiastic highway patrol officer. He pulled in beside Sam and Brentwood's vehicles. He handed over the vests, rifles and spare ammunition to his fellow agents and listened to Sam's plan of entry.

They split up, three and three as they entered from different sides, cornering Dejan off from escaping. Callen allowed Sam to lead on this rescue, knowing how he felt about placing Deeks into the taxi without checking the driver out, and knowing that Deeks was still struggling to cope with the drugs in his system. They arrived to the door to where Eric told them that both were and prayed it was where Deeks was. They heard Deeks cry out, "NO!" They knew then that they were in the right place. Sam held his fingers to signal for the moment of entry. Together the six NCIS agents entered the room. Callen fired upon Dejan, who was taken by surprise by their arrival. He fell to the floor besides Deeks, who had just moments prior collapsed onto the floor. Dejan moved to attack Callen with his knife, but Sam and Brentwood's team all fired at the Serbian, killing him after shooting him in the chest and temple.

Callen looked up appreciatively at his partner and the other agents before returning his attention to their injured colleague. He looked shocked to see the blood seeping from Deeks' jaw and throat. As he turned him over he noticed the lower cuts down his chest and deeper cut into his abdomen. "Eric, we need paramedics, stat. Deeks has been tortured by Dejan. He's losing blood fast." He continued his assessment while Sam un-cuffed his hands. He felt his forehead and noticed the sweat pouring down his face and neck. "I think he's got an infection too, Eric."

"Two minutes out, Callen." Eric had called for an ambulance prior to their entry to be on standby and was glad now that he had. Their suspect had been taken down, so it was safe for the paramedics to go in and assist with taking care of their injured team member.

Callen took his own t-shirt off and pressed down on his deep cut, placing pressure to stop the bleeding. "Deeks, it's Callen. We've got you. We're taking you to the hospital to get you help." But Marty Deeks remained unconscious to the help around him.

Two paramedics entered with a gurney. Callen remained where he was until one of them could take over the pressure hold on his deep wound. "He's been unconscious for eight minutes." Callen had calculated since the last moment they heard Deeks call out. "He suffered a gunshot wound last night and signed himself out from hospital three hours ago. He was captured by the dead guy and tortured with the knife in the evidence bag. The deepest cut is in his abdomen and I think he's got an infection in his wound from last night with the amount of sweat I've seen on his face and back of his neck."

The paramedics nodded and took over, laying him on the gurney before taking him out to the ambulance. "Where are you taking him?"

"L.A. General." Callen nodded and returned his focus on the dead Serbian on the concrete floor. Sam had called the coroner's office and a team were on their way out.

Callen and Sam left Brentwood's team to go over the evidence while they returned to the hospital. They wanted to ensure the detective made it back there this time and to update Kensi on what had gone down. As they waited for Deeks to be seen to by a doctor and placed back inside Kensi's room, Callen updated Hetty on the situation.

"Mr Summers, where the hell have you been? John tells me you've been to the beach house but refused to return with them. Your life is in as much danger as the rest of your family." She stressed her worry over her boy with regards to his disappearance. "If you keep this act up of playing the lone wolf, you'll get yourself killed."

"Dejan kidnapped Deeks, Hetty. We've just completed a rescue mission. Dejan is dead. It's safe for now." He felt exhausted from the madness today had brought him.

"Oh dear. How is Mr Deeks?" Concern for her detective overrode her frustrations on Callen's earlier disappearance.

"We're waiting to hear. He's being attended to by a doctor. Dejan tortured him, Hetty." The news hit the older woman hard. She hated when any of her people were injured and took their safety personally.

"What happened? I don't understand how he was kidnapped when he was in hospital with his partner." Anger rose again in her voice, she had walked to the furtherest point in the garden to continue her conversation with him. Eyes from Nell, John and Hannah looked in her direction, all concerned on what was being told to her. The look on her face said it all to them.

"Deeks checked himself out of hospital a few hours ago. Sam placed him in a taxi to take him back because he shouldn't have left. Sam didn't have the time to take him himself, as I needed him with me at the beach house to ensure the Mitchells and Summers were moved safely. But when Sam went to see how Deeks was in hospital, Kensi was on her own. That's when Sam raised the alarm that something had happened to him. We traced Deek's last location to an abandoned warehouse in Vernon. The kaleidoscope search found the missing taxi at the same location. Brentwood's team came to assist Sam and I in the rescue." He continued to brief her on the events and the condition of Deeks when they found him. He left out the full detail of the state Deeks was in, something that will be a shock for anyone to see him. He and Sam decided to tell Kensi the extent of what had happened to him, so she wasn't shocked when Deeks arrived into the room. It would take some time, perhaps a few weeks before the detective would feel better about his appearance, once his skin had healed and hair growth on his jaw and throat returned. They were about to go in and tell her, after his call to their boss. He hadn't even considered how Hetty would feel about his disappearance. As far as he was concerned, he was communicating with his partner and Eric throughout the course of the day.

"I'm sorry, Hetty. I didn't mean to cause you worry. I've been in contact with Sam and Eric throughout the day." His words touched Hetty.

"I only wished you had told me about your intentions to leave here. That is all, Mr Summers. There are many family members here concerned for you also." She smiled over to the worrying expressions on Hannah and John's faces, to relieve them from their concerns. The reunion between father and daughter had been heart warming for all to see as both had believed the other to be dead long ago. All they wished for then was for the youngest member of their family to be there with them. The boys in particular were excited that they had another grandpa and uncle around.

"I know, Hetty. But with the case at hand, it's hard to enjoy the family reunion with the danger around. But for now, we know that there are no more Zivkovichs in town. What are we going to do with the employees at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals? Deeks and Kensi were their point of contact to tell them it was safe to leave." It was Friday and he knew the employees would want to leave to go home. He looked at his watch and was surprised it was five in the afternoon. How did the day fly so fast? He hadn't stopped to eat lunch. As he thought over the events of the day, he realised he'd lived a whole week in two days. No wonder he felt exhausted. "I think I need a holiday after these past two days, Hetty."

"Your wish is granted, Mr Summers. Come as soon as you can and spend some much needed quality time with your family. I will arrange for Warren Mitchell to contact his head of security to tell them that it's safe to leave." She smiled being able to tell him that. For the first time in a very long time, he had family to go home to.

"I've got to go, Hetty. Eric's trying to contact me." He disconnected one call and went on to the next.

"Callen, we've got a problem. The test results from Emily's food has come back. It was laced highly in cashews and pistachios. Fingerprints from the plate came back to a known associate to the Zivkovichs, a Russian with the name of Andrei Kozlo. We still have him running loose in Los Angeles." Eric continued typing data into the system searching for him.

"Thanks, Eric. I'll let Hetty know." He disconnected the call and rang his boss again.

"Hetty, Eric's found another known associate in town. He was at the Drago Centro yesterday and was the one who laced Emily's food." A shiver ran down his spine thinking over the danger placed on his daughter. "Someone fed him intel on Emily's allergy and Hannah's true identity. Who in the CIA knew her real identity?"

Hetty slumped her shoulders in defeat. Another danger still lurked in town. _How long would it be before life would return to normal for Callen's family? _"You will have to ask Owen that one, Mr Summers."

"I'll ask him. Take good care of them for me, Hetty."

"I will, Mr Summers. Miss Jones and I will will take good care of them. Return soon, please." She disconnected the call and walked over to her intelligence analyst. "Miss Jones, we appear to still have a known associate lurking in Los Angeles. We will be staying here for a little while longer." She kept the rest of the details on what had happened to their detective to herself. There was no need to worry her any further. She had seen the concern the younger woman had on Callen's where about earlier and mused to herself that perhaps more was going on between the two than she had ever anticipated. She was pleased she hadn't yet spoken with Warren Mitchell with regards to his employees. After Callens last call, it still wasn't safe for them to leave the premises.

_Poor Deeks, just what he didn't need. But glad the guys got to him in time and another Zivkovich is dead. But now another is still on the loose. Let's hope the team can find him and allow everyone to go home soon. They all need good rest. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	18. Chapter 18

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: It is amazing what comes to ones mind whilst sick with the flu. Thanks for the reviews, I enjoy reading your thoughts as you read each chapter._

**Chapter 18**

**_Boat Shed…_**

Callen pulled up outside the boat shed and entered. He watched on the television screen, Granger's interrogation with Namena Zivkovich with frustration. Granger had been there most of the day and appeared to have no results from the black haired beauty. Callen studied her closely and saw her defiance in talking with the Assistant Director of NCIS. Anger of what his family had been through for many years due to this one crime family, rippled through his body. He was exhausted and his patience was running thin. He stood up and walked to the door of interrogation and knocked.

Owen Granger opened the door and left the room, following him back out to the main area. Callen collapsed on the sofa and looked up at his senior boss. "I need to know who in the CIA knew of my sister's identity."

Owen furrowed his brow surprised by the question. "I don't know what you're talking about, Agent Callen."

A flash of anger crossed Callen's face over the ease of Granger's lie. "You've been in that room with Namena for too long. Hasn't Hetty called you? Don't you know anything that's transpired today?"

Owen looked at his cell and saw ten missed calls from the Operations Manager. He looked up and caught Callen's gaze. He realised just how exhausted the younger man looked. "What's been going on, Matthew?" He believed that the man before him deserved for him to use his real name now and that it was time to come clean.

"Someone has told the Zivkovichs about Emily's allergy and my sister's real identity. It's been one hell of a day." He went on to update all the events over the Tates and Deeks' kidnapping. Owen Granger saw how much the team leader cared not only for his family but his team and always placed their safety first before his own. With all the information he revealed, Owen realised Callen hadn't spent the day with his father or daughter due to being too busy saving lives.

"What do you want to do now?" Owen finally asked him.

"I need names from you. CIA names. We need to know whose the leak and make them all safe so they can return to their lives." Callen stood up and stretched his body which was starting to ache from the stressful day. "I also want time alone with the woman." He knew he was stretching the demands with Granger, but he no longer cared. He needed to find this Russian fast, before he hurt someone he cared about again.

Owen nodded. "Okay." He walked over to the table and wrote down the names of the CIA operatives who knew that Hannah Tate was in fact Amy Callen/Summers.

Callen looked at the list. "Thanks. Send it through to Eric for me. I need to deal with her." He nodded his head in the direction of the television screen. Owen capitulated, knowing Callen deserved his moment with the Serbian, after he'd failed getting any information out of her.

Namena Zivkovich turned and saw the new man enter the interrogation. She had expected the older man or the African American hulk to return, not this man. She studied him and saw his cerulean eyes which glared at her. He was different to the other two, who had been patient and mocked her earlier as if it was a game to them. But this man was in an element of his own. He had a purpose and no patience at all. Callen pulled a chair over to the camera and pulled the plug, then he switched off the microphone under the table. He moved the table against the wall opposite her before turning his attention to her. He pulled hard at her arms and tied them with rope. "What are you doing?" She snarled at him, but he chose to remain silent as he exited the room and returned with two large concrete blocks. Her eyes widened with fear as panic consumed her. Up until that point, she felt she had been the one in control. But this new player had rules of his own. There were none. "Who are you?"

Callen stopped what he was doing and made eye to eye contact with her. He searched her eyes for evidence that she possessed any good in her. "You know who I am. Your worst enemy." His voice was gruff as he growled at her.

She shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't know what you're doing either." She saw him unlock the trap door that she had up until that moment, not observed before. Namena pushed her chair back into the corner, as far away from the trap door as she could. It didn't take much to work out what he was going to do. "No! You can't do that to me. Your government cannot allow you to do such things."

Every muscle in Callen's body tensed as he listened to her logic. He knew she was right, but right then he no longer cared. His daughter had been poisoned, his sister almost blown up, his colleague tortured, his sister's in-laws had been kidnapped and tied up to blow when the door to the hotel suite opened and a friend of his former lover's husband was shot dead in his home. He needed to stop this now. Granger had tried to get information out of her, but she was a defiant one. Now it was his turn to break the rules and tell her who was in control. He turned and moved closer towards her. "I want the location of the Russian, Andrei Kozlo."

"I don't know anyone by that name." She replied rather too quickly for Callen's liking.

"You lie. We have proof that he has ties with your family. Where is he?" He leaned over the woman providing no space between them. He was ready to head butt her to knock her out, but he needed the information first.

"Why is it that important to find him?" She wanted to know just how much this man knew of Andrei Kozlo. He had helped her family get rid of Nikita Reznikov into the Siberian prison years ago. But news of his escape five years later brought anger back into her family, all enraged to act revenge on what he had done to their family.

"Because he poisoned my daughter's food. No one messes with my daughter." His visage altered as anger ravaged through him.

The light in the woman's brain switched on after his admission. A sly smile formed on her lips as she realised who he was. "You were the boy that should have died with his mother on the beach." She felt power return to her against this man. It was personal to him as much as it was to her. His actions now made sense.

"What do you know about the Comescus?" He squeezed hard on her upper arms, urging her to divulge more to him.

The corners of her eyes creased with amusement although pain throbbed in her arm where he held her. "They were allies with my family for a long time, until your parents tried to destroy us." The amusement dissolved in her eyes and was replaced with a temper that matched his. She raised her chin in defiance, the act had proved her worth earlier with the older man. But she didn't see amusement in his eyes at all. They hard turned to a steely blue that bore into her sole and made her shudder. Their breaths were intermingled and she surmised that they were around the same age and grown up to hate the enemies of their families. For a moment she pondered the possibility, had they not been enemies if they could they have been lovers. The electricity that burned between them was almost intoxicating for her. But her moment of pondering had caused her a weakness as the man before her took the opportunity and moved her chair closer to the trap door.

"Where is he?" Callen growled. He felt a flurry of confusion on what the woman revealed in her eyes. His heart rate increased and his breathing became rapid as he tried to remain focused on his job at hand. _Was she trying to seduce him?_ He shook his head clear of her poison and moved her chair to the edge of the trap door. She began to resist against him, to pull back. She resisted to capitulate, causing him to lose his patience. "You have two choices here. I send you down to feed the sharks and you join your brothers in hell or you spend the rest of your life rotting in an American jail, where your pretty face will become a thing of the past. He dug his hand into her dark locks and pulled her up off the chair till she could move no further. They were inches apart and he fought the urge to ravage her lips before he threw her into the harbour. He'd done it before, but it was a ruse, this time he would lose his job for sure. But he no longer cared. What mattered most to him was that his family remained safe.

But what he struggled to shake from him was the electricity that he felt between the two of them. It feared him that he could even feel something like that to such a woman whom he despised the most. He felt dirty that he could even consider kissing her. It was lust, nothing else. His heart had been taken by another, whom he would never consider treating like he did with this raven beauty. _She must have me under her spell. A witch is what she is,_ he concluded.

"He's staying at the Cadillac Hotel in Venice Beach." Her voice stuttered as panic rose within her once more. "Under the name of Ralph Compton."

Callen released her and she fell back onto the chair. He closed the trap door and left her sitting there with tears falling down her face. He had the address and he was going straight for the Russian. He needed to end this now.

Owen Granger looked over at him as he exited the interrogation room. He'd missed the whole thing while he'd been on the phone to Eric and then Hetty, who had called him for the eleventh time that day and updated him on things from her end. He saw the anger that radiated off the seasoned agent and was curious to what had transpired between him and the woman. He walked over to the television screen and saw that it was blank. He fisted his hand and banged it onto the table before rushing into the interrogation room. He wasn't sure what he had expected when he stepped into the room, but he never envisaged seeing the sight before him. The woman was tied to two concrete blocks, sitting on the chair in tears. He knew how Callen's emotions could get the better of him on occasions, especially when it came to dealing with Marcel Janvier. He realised the events of the past two days were placing more of an emotional strain on the younger agent than he first thought. But he had in only a matter of minutes managed to get the information out of the woman that he had failed to achieve for most of the day. Quietly he walked over and untied her arms and removed the concrete bricks. "There will be Federal Agents here to take you into custody in half an hour." He reconnected the camera and microphone and left her alone staying on guard in the other room.

**_Venice Beach…_**

Callen sat in his jag as he waited for Sam to join him. He'd watched the entrance with his trained eye at every person who entered and exited the hotel. He was relieved when his partner pulled up behind him, as his patience was running out. But he knew he needed his partner to back him up, too many people relied on him to stay alive, now he'd found his family.

Sam noticed the darkened visage and was curious on what went on at the boat shed. "Is she still alive?" The amount of anger that still radiated from him was evident when he stepped out of the car.

"Just." He remained his attention to the front of the hotel as he walked across the street with the former SEAL. "I almost threw her into the harbour to feed the sharks."

"What stopped you?" Sam asked, looking over at him with concern. He understood the responsibility to keep one's family safe, but for his partner, this was bigger than dealing with Sidorov. The Zivkovichs knew who were in his family before he knew and they were all in danger, not just the woman he loved. Only Elise and John were equipped to protect themselves, the others were innocent victims of something that had nothing to do with them.

"She told me what I wanted." He shook the memory of the raven's eyes from his mind and focused on their target. Sam noticed something had disturbed him, but kept his thoughts till after they had dealt with the Russian.

They entered the building and found which room he was in from reception. They showed their badges and asked if Mr Compton was in. The girl nodded and gave them the key to the room. "It's on the third floor, last room on your right."

Swiftly they made their way up the three flights of stairs and along the hallway to the room where Andrei Kozlo was staying.

"Mr Compton, there's a problem with the plumbing. I have the plumber here to check out the pipes in your room." Callen called out, in hope that their suspect would make it easy for them and open the door.

Inside the room, Andrei Kozlo pulled out his gun as he looked through the peephole in the door. All he could see were brown eyes that met his grey ones, not giving him any indication on what was on the other side of the door, other than someone with a rather large build.

Sam nodded to Callen when they heard the Russian unlocking the door. Sam pushed through as the door edge opened and pushed their suspect to the ground. The two wrestled for dominance, Callen tried to get a shot into Kozlo, but the quick movements between him and his partner made it impossible. He moved closer and pushed his foot onto the Russian's shoulder. Stay still or I will shoot.

Andrei Kozlo looked up at Callen, realising for the first time that there were two of them. Sam pushed him onto his front and cuffed his hands together, before hauling him up onto his feet and out the door.

Callen searched the hotel room for evidence on plans that he and the Zivkovichs were going to do next. He found maps and photos of his daughter and father playing a game in a park and he realised it must have been taken at the Father-Daughter picnic last year. It proved to him that the Russian and Serbians had been planning this attack on his daughter and father for at least a year. Anger bubbled under the surface once again,as he collected everything he could from the hotel room. He snapped photos and sent them through to Eric, so he could analyse what was going to happen next. He dialled Eric to update him on their capture of the Russian.

"Have you gotten anything from the names Granger gave you?" Callen descended the stairs and returned the room key to the girl on reception, giving her a smile of appreciation as he exited.

"Yes I have. Besides Granger, Daniel and Brian Tate, only their boss in the CIA, David Brunswick. That's it, Callen. We both know that neither Granger, Daniel or Brian Tate would ever give up your sister's name."

"So that leaves us with David Brunswick." Callen started his engine and drove the short distance to the boat shed.

"Yeah! About that."

Callen pulled over at the marina and stepped out of the car. "What, Eric?"

"He's dead. His wife found his body in the basement of their house after a week of holidaying with girlfriends down in Florida. It looks like someone entered the property and tortured him for information about your sister before killing him." Eric hated delivering bad news to anyone on the team, especially to Callen. He'd had so many in his life time.

"Thanks, Eric. Now we know where the leak came from. Sam and I are at the boat shed to interrogate Kozlo. Can you update Hetty for me?" He stifled a yawn as he entered the boat shed. _When was this day going to be over? He was beyond exhaustion._

He met Granger in the main area, Sam was inside the interrogation room with their suspect. "Go home, Matthew. You're exhausted and need to be with your family."

This time it was Callen who capitulated and nodded. "Thanks." He turned around and left his partner with Granger to deal with the Russian. He was thankful they had eliminated the latest threat. He looked at his watch and felt his stomach rumble. _Time for a double double._

_Let's hope Callen and the team can get some much needed rest now that all threat have been eliminated or captured. Love to know your thoughts. Please leave a review._


	19. Chapter 19

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Who is Callen referring to that has his heart? How will what transpired in the boat shed affect him moving forward? Thank you to all of you who have continued to read this story and left reviews. Your reviews keep me inspired to continue writing and completing this story._

**Chapter 19**

**_L.A. General…_**

Kensi gasped, placing her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound that escaped her when Deeks was finally wheeled into her room. Even with the details Sam and Callen had told her, it hadn't prepared her for what she saw. She was thankful Deeks was asleep, although his state concerned her, she didn't want him to see her shock over his appearance. Her heart tore in grief over what Dejan had done to her Max. He was her Prince Charming as she was his Snow White and she would do anything to make sure that he never felt bad about himself again. What they had was true love and they could overcome whatever was sent to test their love for each other. Hadn't they already achieved that? After all they had been through, they had managed to find their way back to each other once more. It brought them closer and their love for each other only deepened. It was solid and she was determined to stand by her man and help him get through this. He had done the same for her when she was lost in Afghanistan. He flew in when all was lost for a trade off of a prisoner for her and Jack Simon, her former fiancé. He was what the CIA called the White Ghost, but she knew he wasn't what they had said about him. And there Deeks stood, waiting for her to say goodbye to Jack and welcomed her into his arms and comforted her. She would do the same for him, stand by him and hug him until the pain went away. Although she understood how remnants of what they endured lingered in their memories somewhere and escaped at night when the guards were down.

She winced in pain as she moved to sit up further. A nurse came over and raised the bed head again for her to feel more comfortable. She kept her eyes only on her partner as he was positioned on the other side of the room. Gauze had been placed over his wounds on his jaw and throat, but what was the worst of his injuries laid underneath the sheet. A knot of anger lodged in her stomach over the injustice of what Deeks had been through in the past twenty-four hours. He never deserved the gun shot wound in his arm or the torture by Dejan, yet he had suffered for being the man he was: kind, loyal and always thinking of the team above himself. It was a quality that made her love him so much, yet she also knew he wasn't alone in this quality. All of them possessed such quality, it was what made them as a team, unsurpassable. Yet it was his quirkiness, his ability to make her smile or laugh when she needed it the most that caught her heart in the first instance. She only hoped that this latest torture wouldn't lead him back into the depths of despair like after what he had been through with Sidorov, to keep Michelle's true identity safe.

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen never made it back to Hetty's house after leaving the boat shed. In fact, he was so exhausted, he never stopped off for a double double and headed straight to the mission. His old haunt, making his habit of falling asleep on the sofa in the alcove off the bull pen, a hard one to break. He had crashed literally and now his mind was haunted by dreams that refused to wake him. He tossed and turned, as memories of the times Nell had been in danger returned to the forefront of his mind. They were in the Kill House and Inman held Nell hostage. No one could get a shot and all Callen could think of was guilt for getting Nell into this position. Instead of reality kicking in, a warped variation of what went down filled his mind as he ran down the stairs towards Nell to save her. Inman pulled Nell back, wedging her between him and Callen and fired his weapon, killing Nell in the back of the head. As her body fell to the floor, Callen felt his heart shatter as he fell to the floor and held her dead body, with tears in his eyes.

Nell had been worried over Callen's whereabouts and eventually called Eric for help to locate him. After her partner told her that he'd crashed on the sofa by the bull pen, she advised Hetty of her need to go back to the mission for something. The older woman nodded and allowed her, seeing the house was well guarded by a team of NCIS Agents anyway. She pulled up outside the disused water treatment plant and unlocked the door. It was dark and only the emergency lighting were lit in the spanish style building. Her footsteps echoed and her heart pounded as she headed towards the sofa, where he laid. In her hand she held Greek takeout, knowing how much he liked the lamb koftas and minted yoghurt. She heard a voice in pain and rushed forward and found Callen.

"Nell! Nell!" He thrashed about on the sofa, unable to escape his nightmare.

She leaned down and gently placed her hand on his arm to soothe him. "It's okay, Callen. I'm here. I'm safe."

Callen bolted upright, his eyes wide in fear and confusion. His breathing was rapid as the fear from his nightmare consumed him. He looked at her and touched her face to ensure she wasn't a dream. "You are?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile. Her worry for him prevented a bigger smile, knowing just how much he treasured all on the team like family. The burden to be the protector, to prove his worth. "I am." She held up the takeout box and hoped the smell would help him believe that she was real and fine.

He nodded and managed to calm himself down with the realisation that it had all been a bad dream. He took the takeout box from her and began to eat. "Thanks." He looked up into her hazel eyes and wondered if she felt the same for him or if it was more of a hopeful thought. "For pulling me out of," he wondered what to call it, nightmare, or what? It felt too real to be just a nightmare. He wasn't sure, "and for the food. I was too exhausted to buy anything."

"When did you last eat?" She watched him think over her question as he gulped the food down. "Go easy, Callen. You'll give yourself heartburn."

"Breakfast. Sam and I bought Kensi and Deeks donuts." That morning at the hospital felt like a lifetime ago. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nine-thirty.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Callen. Emily needs you in her life, healthy and happy. Eating a healthy diet is a good start, as well as getting a good night sleep." She felt more like his mother at that moment than a friend or colleague. Her heart sank when she realised that he had only been five when he'd witnessed his mother's murder. She shuddered as she thought just how much pain and loss he'd endured throughout his life.

"You cold, Nell?" He pulled the old Indian blanket off the back of the sofa and laid it on her shoulders.

"Thanks, Callen." She didn't have the heart to tell him it was from thinking about him, and not from the cold. The night was still warm, although they were near the end of summer. Los Angeles had taken her a while to adjust, after growing up in the mid-west with sub-zero temperatures and snow in the winter. The cold she was used to, but her skin was not attuned to the hot Californian sun. Whenever she got the chance to go to the beach, she always ensured she was well covered up and wearing a large brim hat on her head and placed her beach umbrella up to give her shade as she sat on her beach chair. She didn't care how she looked to the beach babes in skimpy bikinis and oiled olive complexions. If she tried their approach, she would last no more than an hour and look like a lobster and suffer for a week after, with her skin peeling off faster than it grew underneath. Oh, she had learned her lesson from when she went on holidays with some girlfriends years ago, down to Florida. She was never going to risk her skin to such pain ever again.

Callen handed her the box. "Would you like some?" He noticed her lost in thought and wondered what had taken her mind elsewhere. Suddenly he felt rude for eating in front of her and worried he was keeping her from something more interesting or important. Or from someone.

Nell shook her head. "Thanks, but I've eaten with the rest of your family. Hetty's cooked up a feast, getting the men to work at the barbecue whilst the women prepared salads, pasta dishes and the deserts. Wow! That woman knows how to entertain. I couldn't eat a single thing for the rest of the week."

Callen was interested in all that she said. She had an interesting way to explain things and her facial expression and the way her eyes lit up drew him in fast. He was so wrapped up in her talking, he forgot he still had food left in the box to eat. His eyes remained fixed on her as she went on to describe who did what and the desserts Hetty made from scratch, while she organised everyone to a job at hand.

When Nell finished talking, she looked at Callen's eyes and felt a shiver run up her spine. He was looking so intently into her own hazel eyes, she wondered what had caught his attention like that. She fidgeted with her hands on the blanket, which Callen noted.

"I'm sorry, Nell. I'm keeping you from being somewhere. Thanks for dropping by and for the food." He looked at the box and realised he'd only half eaten. He stared inside and wondered how he'd forgotten that he was eating. When he looked back at the woman who had been sitting beside him he realised that she had stood up.

"You're welcome, Callen. I told Hetty I needed something, so I better get that something." She leaped up the stairs to Ops and wrapped her arms around herself once she walked through the sliding doors. _How did that happen? _She knew how she felt about the team leader, but she knew she needed to escape before she made a fool of herself and kissed him. They were good friends and suddenly her heart beat had quickened just from thinking of him. Yes, she did have a crush on him and pondered many nights if it was only a crush or something more. Her mind flashed back to the time when Sam and Callen came bursting through the interrogation room door in the boat shed and she collapsed from fighting Robert Brown. She had managed to knife him three times in her defence from him killing her. As she fell, Callen caught her and gently laid her down on the old wooden floor. Her heart fluttered but was more focused at the time about her getting Brown. She needed to prove to Callen that she was not just a geek, but tough like the rest of them. She saw the look of approval in his eyes when he said, "yes, you got him." It made her heart swell that she had proven that to him. Once in the Kill House, second in the boat shed and thirdly with the geeks, when the partner tried to escape and she fired a shot over the suspect's head to make him stop leaving, even after he had whipped his bag across her face. She didn't let it stop her. Three times she had proven her worth and now she wondered if they would ever get past being friends or if something more could ever happen between them. Her heart beat made her realise that her feelings for him were indeed real and that she needed to get out of the building before he stopped her from escaping. Suddenly, she felt nervous and ridiculous for even contemplating such a thing.

"Nell?"

She spun around and saw him standing there behind her. _How long had he been there? _Quickly she picked up her tablet and went to leave. "See you tomorrow, Callen."

Callen furrowed his brow as he watched the petite Intelligence Analyst leave Ops. He looked around to see what had caught her thoughts as she entered. There was nothing he could see and was curious as to what had been on her mind. "See you, Nell."

After she left, he hit his palm on his forehead. "Yeah I know, Gibbs, I should have done something, but I can't. I'm not worthy of her and I'm not sure if there is something between her and Eric. I cannot afford to ruin our friendship." He shook his head at him talking to himself, whilst answering to his old friend, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He knew what Gibbs would have said to him at that moment, but it wasn't as simple as that. "I don't deserve her. She's too good for someone like me. If you'd seen me with the Serbian beauty earlier, you would agree with me. I am no good."

He exited the room and descended the stair to finish off his food. He was pleased she had showed up, it showed that he had good friends on the team. "We're good friends. Family. I will never do anything to ruin it."

_Will Callen and Nell ever get their feelings sorted? How will Deeks react to his latest torture? Love to know what you think, please leave a review._


	20. Chapter 20

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Let's hope for a heartwarming family reunion. Thanks again for your continued support in this story._

**Chapter 20**

**_Beverley Hills…_**

Thanks to her senior agents, Hetty was able to give Warren Mitchell the permission to contact his head of security and allow all employees home for a long weekend break. They all needed the time to recover from being stuck on the premises for two days, whilst replacement security staff were brought in to continue guarding the highly sensitive material on site. But from what Hetty and her team could see, the company had never been at risk. In fact, it proved that the high security protocols in place at Mitchell Pharmaceuticals had kept Warren Mitchell safe from the Serbians.

The sun shone brightly in through the rooms out back of her most treasured property. It had been a gift to her from Fred Astaire from their secret affair during the 1960's and there was no way she was ever going to part from it. For as long as she could remember, it had been her boy's safe haven, whenever he found himself in a bad foster home or needed her to mother him as an adult. The two of them had kept the location a secret until more recent times, when they had allowed Sam and Nell into the knowledge of such place. After dealing with the Comescus on their last appearance in town, Callen had gone there to deal with his emotions of finding out his father's name and the video of him with his father and sister. Sam had been beside himself, so Hetty found herself unable to hide it from him any longer. Nell had also pushed and now she was beginning to understand why. What her boy had no idea about, was that she had left all of her estate to him in her will. It was the least she could do for him after all he had endured. Now with Lauren gone, he was all that she had left.

It didn't surprise her to find her lead agent making himself at home cooking pancakes on the stove top. She smiled as he flipped one in the air and caught it back into the pan. "Good morning, Mr Summers. It's good to see you've returned in one piece.

Callen turned and smiled at the closest thing he had to a mother. "Morning, Hetty. You know, you can call me Matthew or Matt now, don't you?"

Hetty gave a small chuckle. "Indeed I can, Matthew." His name felt foreign on her lips, but she knew it was going to take them all time to adjust. As far as she could see, it was Owen who had found it so easy to call him by his real name.

A smirk appeared on his lips which reached his eyes. The shadows of his nightmare from the night before was well hidden behind the illusion that he was okay by the past two days' events. She had worried endlessly for him, so she was at peace to see him happy again.

"Dad?" Both turned and saw Emily enter the kitchen. "You're making pancakes?"

Callen's smile broadened as he watched his daughter walk over to him and wrap her arms around him. He let go of the pan and embraced her in a warm hug. He kissed her on her temple, smelling her shampoo of summer fruits. "I sure am. Want some?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, please. What's there to have on them?" She turned to Hetty this time, out of respect for her being the lady of the house. "Hello, Miss Lange."

"You may call me Hetty, dear. Everyone calls me Hetty."

"Hello, Hetty." Emily unwrapped herself from her father and hugged the smaller woman. "You are a special to my dad, aren't you?" She had observed the special bond between them, before she entered the kitchen. At least she knew her dad had her for all of these years.

"Hello, Emily. He does indeed have a special place in my heart. He's a hard one not to." She smiled and winked at the teenager. "Now for the toppings for these pancakes that your father's making. Let's go and see what I have in the refrigerator and pantry." She led Emily in search for the toppings. They returned soon with an assortment of berries, panna cotta, lemon, sugar and maple syrup. "I think this should cover everyone's tastes, don't you think?"

The table was set out on the patio with all the toppings before anyone else entered the kitchen. When Nell entered, she was surprised to see Callen there, let alone at home at the stove. If she had known he was there, she would have put some makeup on. She turned around and headed back to her bedroom, when two hands stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going, Nell?" She turned and found herself in close contact to the man who had entered her dreams all night. She drunk in his scent of aftershave and deodorant and closed her eyes to memorise it in her mind. This smell represented the man well. He smelt of the beach and wood. All that was missing was the smell of gunpowder, but she was glad that smell was missing. It was too early for anyone to be chasing bad guys. And after the events of the past two days, they all needed a break. It was Saturday and she was glad that Callen and Sam had captured the last of the known associates of the Zivkovichs in town. It meant that the Tates, Mitchells and Summers all could return to their homes and back to their usual lives. Yet, somehow she knew, that the events had forged something between them that would never separate them again. And the person who was the missing link was now here, G. Callen, aka, Matthew Summers.

"I um…forgot something." She looked up and caught his gaze, they were intense once again, drinking into her eyes.

He raised a brow in question. "You don't need anything to eat pancakes. Come." He grabbed her hand and led her out to the patio, where the number of people had grown to eight. All four Tate children and Emily's sisters had joined Emily and Hetty at the table. He and Nell made ten and he pulled a chair back for Nell and sat down beside her. The conversation grew louder from the number of people, but it was good to see happy faces. _So far, so good, _he mused. All had gone well seeing Emily three days in a row, although each time had been brief. She looked a lot brighter than she had two days ago when they first met and he realised just how beautiful and full of energy she was. All he had to get through was seeing his father and sister again. He and no choice but to defer this moment, due to the danger that lurked nearby. But he was still hesitant just the same. Seeing his father had been the hardest, the anger and betrayal he'd felt returned to the surface, but he'd been so overjoy to see Amy again, he felt almost whole again. What he feared the most, was seeing how happy his father and Amy were together and he'd feel like he didn't matter anymore. He knew it was childish and silly really to even go there, but he couldn't stop himself. Amy had always been an amazing big sister to him. He came first to Amy when they were younger and memories of that time had returned after he met Hannah Lawson. But his memories of him with his father were the hardest for him to find. Other than the film strip that Michael Rhinehart had kept safe in his closet, he struggled to find anything that reminded him of a time with his father. Then he remembered his mother's death and later him and Amy hiding and someone coming to rescue them. He knew deep down that his father meant a great deal to him and had been disappointed when they weren't taken to him. But when he read his father's notes on the suspects in Europe, memories of a time in southern France returned. He'd been happy, they all had been, so what was he so afraid of now? Was it because of the years he'd lost with them? Was it the lack of self worth drummed into him by those abusive foster parents?

"Morning, son." Callen looked up, pulled away from this thoughts and found his father sitting beside him.

"Hi." He turned and found himself smiling, glad he'd sat there. "Have a good sleep?"

"I did. You?"

Callen shrugged. "Too exhausted to take notice."

John took a bite into his pancake and groaned in satisfaction. "Oh, Hetty, these are amazing pancakes. These remind me of the ones," he paused and looked at all the expectant faces looking at him, "Clara used to make us."

"Mom was the best cook." Hannah Tate walked outside and hugged her baby brother and father. "They look great. I hope there's plenty for us slow risers."

Callen looked around at his sister and noted how refreshed she looked. He observed how she hugged him before their father, which he also appreciated. _Perhaps I'm looking too much into this. Where's Nate when you need him?_

"There are plenty, Mrs Tate. Your brother has been busy in my kitchen this morning. Emily and I only searched out the toppings.

Hannah Tate sat opposite her brother and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Matt." She gave him wobbly eyes and poked her tongue out at him.

"You too, sis." He winked over to her after returning the same wobbly eyes and poked out his tongue and like nothing had changed, they were like they used to be when he was five and she was nine. Both laughed when they realised what they had done.

John chuckled and patted his son on the back. "It's good to see the two of you haven't changed after all of these years."

Emily, Nell and everyone else watched on with interest between the brother and sister, with their meal antics. They were indeed behaving like children, especially when Callen poured too much maple syrup on her pancakes and she smeared panna cotta all over his.

"I've never seen mom behave like this with anyone, ever." Lewis said in amazement. "She's always telling us off for doing the same thing." Before he'd finished talking, his mom had thrown her syrup soddened pancake at her brother and an all out food fight erupted not just between them, but also amongst the rest of the kids.

Daniel Tate walked out and stood astonished as he watched the food fight in full force. In his amazement, he saw Hetty escape out into the garden with her pot of tea and plate of breakfast. He shook his head at the delight on his wife's face as she continued to throw food across the table at the agent he'd met the day before. It took him a moment to realise this was his wife's brother. Her baby brother that she had cried over because she had no idea where he was. She hadn't long been living with them when she admitted to him why she cried so much. A broad grin spread across his face to see her so happy and reunited with him after so long. He noticed that John continued to sit at the table amongst the throng of madness, but as he walked over to sit next to Hannah, he saw the delight in his eyes. To John this was like old times. There was no way he was going to walk away from seeing his kids happy and together again.

"Morning Daniel. You're brave to join us at the table this morning." John nodded and continued eating.

Hannah turned and kissed him on the cheek, smothering a mixture of berries, panna cotta and maple syrup on him. He wiped the remnants off his cheek and tasted it. "Tastes good, Han. Do I get any pancakes with that?"

Before he could search for any, one flew onto his plate and saw the cheeky look his wife gave him. "They are as good as the ones our mom used to make. Matt appears to have inherited her talent for cooking." She smiled over at her brother who had stopped throwing food and was busy wiping his face and eating it.

Callen had to agree, the old food fight did relieve the nerves of the family reunion and what better way to get back to being the family that they used to be, but to return to their old ways. An escaped tear fell down his face, when he realised just how much he had missed his sister and father. John and Hannah picked up on it straight away, with John placing his arm over his son's shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. Callen rose from his chair with the sudden need to be on his own, but John and Hannah stood also and wrapped their arms around him. Their first family hug in thirty-nine years. It had been too long, but those around them all went quiet when the enormity of the moment was realised.

Unsure on what to do, sitting beside the three standing figures in a hug, Nell decided to start cleaning up the mess. Emily was good about it and followed suit as did her sisters and cousins. When Emily had arrived the day before, she was thrilled to find that her father had found Amy and that she was married with four children. Lewis was the same age as her and they all hit it off immediately. Competition on the tennis court and in the swimming pool had occupied all of the teenagers and younger children well up to dinner time. It had been a great start for the two families to bond.

When John and Hannah broke away from their brother, they realised that they had been left alone. It was quiet and all three members of the Summers family were left to take in this moment. "I just realised how much I have missed this, us." Callen admitted. For so long he had buried his memories of happier times, to get him through the lonely and tough years of his childhood alone. Now he was reunited with his father and sister, the good memories re-emerged and he felt whole again.

"So have I, Matt. So have I." Hannah hugged him again with tears in her own eyes. "I have missed you every day."

John pulled his children in close again. "I have missed you both so much. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to find you both. But we cannot change the past now. Let's make sure we make the most of every moment we have from now on.

Hannah and Callen both nodded. Callen turned to his sister. "So what do we call you? I know you're calling me by my real name, but you're still Hannah, aren't you?" It was an awkward moment, but he understood what it was like to live with a certain name, even if it was only a letter for most of your life. Changing it back to your old one required a huge adjustment.

"You can always call me Amy, Matt. You deserve that. But officially, it's probably best if I stay as Hannah, especially with Daniel's high profile. It would be difficult to explain who I really am." She wiped her tears that refused to stop, now that they had started. It was an emotional time for all three of them and a huge adjustment not just for them, but for her family and those close to her brother.

Callen hugged her again and walked over with her to talk with Daniel. It was time he introduced himself to his brother-in-law properly this time. John watched on with pride to see how adjusting his son was to the family reunion. He worried that the situation had been too much for him and he was avoiding this, but as he watched on, he was impressed by how much Matthew really wanted his family back in his life.

**_L.A. General…_**

When Marty Deeks opened his eyes, he expected to still be chained up to the pipe in the dusty, abandoned warehouse. As he felt the soft mattress underneath him, he was surprised by the bright light and clean white room he found himself in. He tried to sit up, but his right arm was back in a sling and his abdominal muscles refused to cooperate, sending pain upwards as he moved. A hand reached out to him, long lean fingers that looked very familiar to him. He turned his head, surprised to see Kensi standing beside his bed. He looked at her hip and noticed that she was leaning on her other side for support.

"You should be in bed." His voice was barely above a whisper, with concern for his partner and girlfriend.

"I needed to be closer to you." She admitted. "They wouldn't move my bed closer to yours."

He turned and noted that the tubing and wiring were no longer attached to her and how much colour had returned to her complexion. "Let's get you up here then, Fern." Kensi's face brightened and moved the bedrail down to climb up next to him. They were a right pair, he with his arm and knife injuries down his front and her with her hip. But nothing perturbed Kensi from doing what she wanted to do. He wanted to help her but he didn't have the strength, so he patiently waited for her to move at her pace and lay down beside him. Kensi pulled the bedrail back up and rested her head into the crook of his shoulder. Together they closed their eyes and fell back off to sleep, forgetting about the events that brought them to this place and only thought about each other.

_I couldn't resist a good old food fight in there. Amy and Callen's relationship is based on their childhood, so it made sense for them to return to that time and start a new relationship there. It dissolved the tension inside of Callen and helped him bond with his family again. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	21. Chapter 21

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: I delayed posting this chapter as I needed to add something in for dealing with Deeks. This is a step in the direction where this story will lead, but as you know, the title of this story reflects what happens along the journey. Anything can happen. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 21**

**_One month on…_**

Callen had spent many evenings sparring with Emily on the gym mats, challenging her to throw him over her shoulder. Being his daughter brought it's own level of danger and if he was to spend time with her, it was imperative she knew how to defend herself. She was old enough and big enough to flip a grown man over her shoulder, to escape being captured. She was strong from the years of training on her school sports teams, swimming training and equestrian lessons, strengthening her legs as they guide the horse over a variety of jumps. She had good balance he noted, and her reflexes were quick, all of which were to her advantage. He wasn't lenient on her, explaining that if someone wanted to capture her, they wouldn't make her escape easy. She understood where he was coming from and learned from her mistakes. Sweat beaded around her hairline as she realigned herself in position for attack. For a middle aged man, Callen was fit and agile. All of his training paid off and kept his skills up for hand to hand combat fighting.

Kensi, Deeks, Nell and Sam stood to the side, egging her on to bring her old man down. The adrenaline pumped through her body as she studied his slight movements. Callen focused on what tactics he was going to use to surprise her. He squinted the sweat away from his eyes as he prepared to attack. He lunged forward towards her left and weaker side, but she surprised him and countered his move. He nodded in approval and thought again about his next move. He wiped his brow with his t-shirt before taking another step forward. They'd been there for forty minutes and the air in the gym was stifling from the heat of the day. The remaining glow of the sun beamed through the windows, bringing an amber glow onto the occupants in the room. The red circle on the blue mat was the focus for the father and daughter. Callen tried to go to her right, but as if she had read his thoughts, she was ready for him and slipped her foot behind his left knee, causing him to fall to the floor.

Cheers from their small audience over Emily's achievement echoed through the condemned building. "Come on Emily, teach your old man a thing or two." Nell called out, she was enjoying the session. There were many times she found herself faced with their team leader on the gym mat. She'd learned many tricks of the trade from Callen and was pleased Emily had been a quick study.

After two failed attempts, Callen decided to go straight on his next move, with full force as if he was sparring Sam, lifting her off the floor, over his shoulder. Emily fought hard with her legs, kicking him hard in the body, as her fingers worked traded secrets on the back of his neck and shoulders, causing him to release her. Impressed with Emily's efforts, he drew her in for a hug. "Well done, Em. Great work."

"You're giving up already, Dad?" Emily challenged him, enjoying this sparring session the best by far of all their sessions. All her previous mistakes she had gone over with him and learned where she had gone wrong and how to correct them, for the next time.

He was surprised his daughter wanted more, as they were both dehydrated and exhausted after a long day at school and office, and the high temperature hadn't helped the matter either, but there she was wanting more. Both of them knew what they wanted. For her to throw him over her shoulder. It was the remaining tactic she'd yet accomplished. Although he wanted her to achieve it, he didn't look forward to being thrown in the air. He nodded and pulled her in from behind, holding her with both arms over her upper body. Emily bent her knees, lowering herself for leverage, then gripped his arms and threw him over her left shoulder. Her right would have been her preferred shoulder, but Callen's position made that impossible. She leaped into the air, high giving Kensi and Nell as she saw her father on the mat.

Sam shook his head and chuckled, amused by his partner's predicament. Deeks nodded in approval. "Remind me never to get on your wrong side, Emily." Deeks grinned, satisfied staying back to watch the match had been worth it.

After a month of rehabilitation for him and Kensi, they had survived their first week back at work, although confined to paperwork and helping Eric out, while Nell went out into the field with the senior agents. Another two weeks and they hoped to be allowed back out into the field. Watching Callen with his daughter brought a satisfied smile to the detective's lips as he eyed his partner, who also had a broad smile on her face. Their sacrifice had been worth it, seeing Emily alive and safe. Callen had lived too long without family, something both he and Kensi understood. It was worth suffering the pain and even those nightmares, just to see moments such as this, Callen happy with Emily. But it just wasn't about Emily. Callen's father, John and his sister, Amy were also safe, thanks to what they had done. Callen had thanked them after that first night and had continued to oversee their recovery, spoiling them to free massage vouchers at a health spa and lots of donuts.

It wasn't that Deeks wanted to suffer the pain, it was more to do with knowing that in the same position, any of the team would have gone through the same for him. It had taken him a while, a few years to understand how their unique family worked, after feeling like an outsider, seeing he was a detective, not an agent. But after his sacrifice for Sam's wife and now for Callen's family, Deeks truly felt he belonged. They had accepted him as more than just Kensi's partner and that too had helped him with dealing with those nightmares. Whenever Kensi laid beside him, all she had to do was wrap her arms around him and they vanished. He had found his family, one that would walk through fire for him. Even Nate had been impressed with his recovery, especially after how he had become withdrawn the first time he'd been tortured.

Callen pulled himself into sitting position, amazed how far Emily had come since he started these sessions. Only one month had passed, but she'd passed with flying colours. He nodded and smiled over to her, relieved that at least if anything did happen to her, she could defend herself. He prayed that time would never come, but he'd seen too many bad things in his lifetime, he wasn't going to be disillusioned that it would never happen.

"So when's the Father-daughter picnic?" Nell asked, hoping to spy on Callen at the park. She was trying to get out of Callen the date and location. She'd searched the school website and found it herself, but she wasn't going to let Callen know that she knew the details and planned on watching from cameras in the area. It was too good of an opportunity to miss.

"Not for a few more weeks." Callen down played the event, still nervous over going. But he knew it meant so much to Emily and had agreed to go when she asked him a few weeks ago.

Sam waved to them, "see you all tomorrow." Slowly Deeks and Kensi followed, chatting about how well Emily was doing in the sessions and argued over where they were going to eat out that night. It was part of their thing to argue about where to eat, but they always played fair in the end and shared who chose where. Deeks was looking forward to getting back into cooking again, now that they were both doing so well in their recovery. It was a part of being together that he loved most, just being together and doing normal day to day things, that took their minds away from the horror of their work.

Nell hung around a little longer, enjoying having Emily around the mission over the past month. "Thanks for the tips, Nell." Emily wiped her brow with the towel as she headed for the showers. She liked her father's team and was glad she got to spend time like this with them. She hummed under the shower as Callen put the mats away.

"I'll help you, Matt." Nell smiled testing out his real name on her lips. They were so accustomed to calling him Callen, it was a huge step for them all to adjust to, let alone Callen. Even Sam still called him G. She supposed Matt didn't have the same ring about it to G.

Callen turned and looked at her. He had noticed how good Nell had been with Emily over the past month, like Sam had. But she in particular had taken a special interest in her. He tilted his head as he studied her. "You don't need to be here, if there's somewhere else you need to be, Nell."

Nell held the other end of the mat as they walked over to the side of the gym. She remained quiet, realising he hadn't worked it out yet, why she was there. It was one of the many qualities she liked about him. She knew Sam had set him up on a blind date and had seen a little of her, but she also noted the lack of wanting to talk about her and when they went out for drinks, he never invited her along. Quietly she mulled over in her thoughts how she was going to approach it. The various times they had worked together on the mat sparring and the times he'd rescued her out in the field, he'd been genuinely worried over her and impressed on how she'd handled herself. Recently she was sure she had seen the signs that perhaps he felt the same for her as she did for him, but now his comment threw her off balance. Had she misread him?

"I better shower before Emily's ready to leave. See you tomorrow?" Callen knitted his brow together, confused by her presence.

"Yeah, sure. See you." Nell turned just as Emily exited the gym.

"You know she likes you, Dad." Emily smirked over to him.

Callen raised his brow, "she's a good friend."

"No, really, really likes you." Emily chuckled, patting him on the back. He was funny sometimes, Emily realised. For someone who spent much of his time playing the hero and was smart at what he did, he really was clueless when it came to the heart. It wasn't like he didn't know how to be with women, she'd asked her mother about how he was with her years earlier, but when it came to a woman really liking him, he really couldn't see it. Elise had explained it had a lot to do with growing up in the system. His lack of self worth, needing to prove to those around him that he was worth being in their lives. He struggled to see how anyone could love him, after being told he was unloved and worthless for years by bad foster parents. It made sense to her and realised that she and Nell had a big task on their hands in making him realise he was worthy to be loved.

"No, Em. Nell's just a good friend. I think something's happening between her and Eric." Emily noted the sadness in his eyes as she said it.

"Whoa, hang on there a minute, Dad. You think Nell and Eric are together, together?" Her eyes widened at the thought. "Oh you've got that so wrong. They're just good friends. Eric's too much of a geek for Nell. Didn't you know?"

Callen narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Since when did you become such an expert on such things?"

"Call it a girl thing. I've learned a great deal from you and your team over the past month about how to protect myself, but I've also learned a lot about you as a person and those on your team. It doesn't take a science degree to figure out that Nell's attracted to you and vice versa." She stood there with a smug look on her face.

"What? No. Nell is a geek. She's told me herself she speaks geek. She and Eric understand each other better than I would ever understand either of them,"

"Dad." Emily stepped closer to him. "Nell is more than just brains, you know. She loves adventure, she's strong and courageous and enjoys every chance she gets to go out into the field. Plus, I can see the way she looks at you, when you aren't looking." She placed her hand on his forearm, hoping to make him see what she could see. "Why do you think she's gone that extra mile to help me beat you at sparring?"

"Nell's been helping you?" Emily nodded.

Callen looked to where he'd last seen Nell exit the gym. Suddenly he bolted, leaving Emily standing on her own, laughing. He ran up the stairs to Ops hoping to find her there. He almost bumped into her as she exited through the sliding doors, with her satchel over her shoulder.

"Callen, is something wrong?" He'd taken her by surprise with his swift movements towards her, she thought something had happened.

Callen pulled himself to a stop and stepped back from her. He waited until he caught his breath, before speaking. "No," he shook his head, "nothing's wrong." He paused, "yes, everything is wrong."

"What?!" He confused her. "No? Yes?" Her eyes widened as he stepped forward and lifted her chin, to make her eyes meet with his.

"I mean, nothing is wrong, Nell. Just," he took another breath, wondering why he was struggling all of a sudden. When he worked undercover, he was known for playing it smooth, but now he felt like a teenager and was nervous. "I forgot to give you this." He bent his head down and gently brushed his lips on her soft pink lips. He paused before stepping away. "Goodnight, Nell."

Nell blushed. "Goodnight, Matt." She watched him with surprise on her face, as he ran down the stairs for the showers. She shook her head in wonder at the man she had always admired and had developed feelings for. Her face brightened as she headed out the door, for home. The tingle sensation of her lips stayed longer than she expected. She touched them with her finger and smiled. _He kissed me. Callen kissed me._ A broad smile spread across her face as she climbed into her Mini Cooper.

_Could you see Callen taking his daughter's safety this seriously and teaching her defence moves? Can you see Callen being so blind to Nell's feelings for him? Is Deeks really okay with all that he's suffered from protecting Callen and his family? Love to know your thoughts. Please leave a review._


	22. Chapter 22

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Now for the day of the Father-Daughter picnic. How will Callen survive this day out with his daughter's peers and their fathers? Thank you for staying with me on this journey and for all your wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 22**

**_Two weeks later…_**

The day had arrived for the Father-daughter picnic at UCLA Sunset Canyon Recreation Centre. Callen had been nervous for weeks over the event, but Sam had gone over things with him and reassured him how well he'd settled in as Emily's father. They had become close in a short time, as if they'd known each other for all of Emily's life. Callen agreed that getting to know Emily had been easier than he'd thought and looked forward to every moment he got to spend with her. No pressing cases had come up, so he had no excuse not to go. Hetty had assured Elise, that no matter what happened, she would make sure Callen was free to go. Everyone knew how important this picnic was to the two of them.

"At least you can now go as your real self, G. No more aliases, when real life is at play." Sam assured him.

"What do I tell people what I do for a living? There's only so much one can say about securities. He'd given that excuse to Joelle and felt she'd seen through his story straight away.

"You've used that cover for years, G. Why is it important for you to change it now. Hasn't it worked for you before?" Sam watched his partner become unsure of himself. He understood it had to do with his nerves of being around wealthy families at the Marlborough school. "What was your cover, when you and Elise went in as Matthew and Alyssa Summers, sixteen years ago?"

Callen raised his brow, as realisation hit him. "Of course! That makes perfect sense." He dialled his cell and asked Elise what had she told Warren and Emily what he did for a living, although they knew now that he was a federal agent for NCIS. "Hey Elise, what cover did you give to Warren and Emily on what I did for a job?" He was intrigued to see what story she'd come up with, seeing he felt his securities one was lame in comparison to lawyers, CEO's, celebrities, sporting agents, brokers, etc.

Elise laughed when she realised Callen's predicament. "Remember our old aliases as the Summers?"

"How could I forget." His mind returned to happy days as Matthew Summers, sixteen years earlier, with a smile.

"That's what I had told them." A smile spread across Elise's face, thinking back to those days.

"Thanks, Ellie."

"Good luck for today. Emily's changed her outfit five times already."

"Thanks, think I'm going to need it." He licked his lips as his nerves put him on edge. He knew he needed to relax. "Tell Em, I'll love her in no matter what she wears."

"I will. See you soon."

Sam looked over at Callen, dressed in a blue polo shirt and denim jeans. Elise stressed it was a relaxed occasion so there would be no pressure on dressing up. With sport activities assigned for the day, he needed to be prepared to work out. So what did Elise say?"

A grin formed at the edge of Callen's mouth, as he tried to hide from Sam his cover.

"It wouldn't take me much to call Elise myself, you know?"

"Pilot." He grinned. "It was what started me in learning to fly in the first place."

Sam chuckled and patted him on the back. See, that wasn't so bad. I knew you'd have it in you to be something worthwhile. You can relax now, G. Be yourself and enjoy spending the day with your daughter."

"Thanks, Sam. At least this is one cover I can actually do and not worry about anyone scrutinising me." He shook his head and wondered why he hadn't used that backstory before. It made sense and he realised Elise knew him better than he knew himself.

Callen pulled up outside the Mitchell family home and stepped out of the car. Hetty had procured him the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide. It had been a while since he'd driven the British made car, and now he knew his father was British, he felt more at home behind the wheel. Emily squealed with delight when she saw the silver Rapide and couldn't wait to sit inside it. She hugged her mom and waved to her sisters and step-father. Warren and Sally were right behind them, leaving in Warren's Land Rover Discovery.

"You look beautiful, Em." He smiled briefly over to her as she admired his car for the weekend.

"Thanks, Dad. I couldn't decide on which top to wear with these shorts, but I settled on this one, with the help of Nell." Emily couldn't help herself in dropping the petite redhead's name into the conversation.

"Nell helped you?" He was surprised. Since that night when he'd overcame his nerves and kissed her, he'd been hesitant in pushing the matter further. He worried over losing the friendship they had if he pushed it too fast, but they had agreed to go out on a date on the following Friday. He wanted the picnic with Emily out of the way so he could concentrate on them and how to move their relationship forward, if they were going to pursue it more than just friends.

"Yes, Dad." She gave him a wry grin. "She told me what you would most probably wear. Apparently you wear a lot of blue." She laughed at his surprised reaction.

He shook his head in wonder, over the women in his life. "Well, Em, you look amazing. But I would love you no matter what you wore."

Emily straighten out her crystal blue cotton t-shirt. It was tapered to her figure, with a surfer girl printed in white on the front. "Thanks, Dad. That means a great deal. She smiled over to him and sat in the Rapide, excited to show her real dad off to her friends at the picnic.

The event went better than Callen had expected. He was greeted by other fathers and he relaxed around Warren, seeing he knew him a little. He'd had a few opportunities to chat with Warren over the past six weeks and liked the guy. There was no pretence with Warren and was glad Ellie had him when he couldn't be there for her and Emily.

Emily Summers was like any ordinary 15 year old at the Marlborough School. She was bright, gorgeous and popular amongst her friends. Her severe allergies to cashews and pistachios hadn't prevented her from having a healthy and happy life, full of everything that life brought her way. She blushed when she first took her father into her bedroom and he stood shaking his head at the One Direction poster on her wall and asked her which one she liked the most. The question had come as a surprise for her, seeing he had no experience with being a dad, but she had a hunch that perhaps Nell or Sam had been talking to him. She'd admitted it was Louis, although she wasn't crazy in love with him or anything, like many other girls at her school were. She played the piano and violin for her dad and he was impressed to see how good she was. She beamed at him with the broadest smile. Now she was at the Father-Daughter picnic with her real dad and life had never been so good for the fifteen year old.

The morning had gone like a blur with board walk, golf, and horseshoes competitions, water wars, nerf ball soccer and volleyball matches. Callen had decided a day out at a park with the team was in order, field agents, technical operators and analysts alike, it didn't matter who you were at the Office of Special Projects. Callen agreed it was a great team building day which could include partners and families and all would have a fun day. As he mulled through the details for his own team building event, a scream from Emily caught his attention. She had gone over to talk to some friends while he finished off his lunch, when a man grabbed her from behind. It was one of the teachers at the school who held her in front of him with a gun to her temple.

Blood drained from Callen's face as he pressed in his agent needs assistance code twice before focusing on his daughter. He slowly moved closer to the teacher who began speaking to Callen. "I was never sure if she was your daughter, but you coming here today, G. Callen, has proved to me that she is."

"Sorry, bud, but you have the wrong name. My name is Matthew Summers and this is my daughter, Emily. Please, let her go. Whatever it is that has upset you, I'm sure we can solve this together." Callen took another step closer, but was still ten metres from Emily.

"I know who you really are. You are the last of the Callens."

"Look, I've told you my name, you must have me confused with someone else. Take a look at my driver's license. Please." Callen stepped closer to show him.

"You are a federal agent, you probably have multiple aliases that you carry around with you." The man spat out at him, unperturbed that he was correct in identifying the man before him as . The last of the line of Callens. But him having a daughter changed everything, that was for sure. There were two of them he'd have to dispose of now. He never meant to hurt the girl, he liked her, she was a happy girl and bright student. But his confirmation that she was a Callen, changed the stakes. He was a desperate man. There were few left of his own family thanks to the man before him. His older brothers Dracul and Vasile were dead, thanks to him. His cousins Ilena and Anton were gone too, there were only him and the next generation left of their family to carry on the blood feud with the Callens. He could not fail.

"No, I am not. I am a pilot. Just ask Emily. She's grown up knowing all of her life what I do for a living. It's taken me away from her and her mother all of these years. My parents are English. You have made a mistake." Out of the corner of his eye, Callen saw Warren Mitchell move to the rear of the teacher, after he ensured Sally and all the other fathers and daughters were far from the danger.

The man hesitated. Emily held her gaze with her father at all times. She saw him squint his eyes for a brief moment, knowing it was him signalling to her to make her move. They had practised this move many times and ever since her success in throwing her father over left shoulder two weeks earlier, she had the confidence to do it for real. She kept her thoughts clear of everything else other than what Callen had told her. She bent her knees, dropping a little in height. Before her teacher realised, she flipped him over her shoulder and kicked his gun away from him. Callen ran the remaining distance and pushed him onto his front and kneed him in the back. Grabbing both hands, he pulled zippy ties out of his back pocket and tied him up.

Waren came up behind her amazed at Emily's move. "Great move there, Em. Who taught you that?" But he needn't have asked the question, it was obvious to him that Callen had ensured she could protect herself if necessary.

"Thanks." She turned and hugged her step-dad, relieved to be away from the hold of Mr Johnston, her history teacher. She had even surprised herself at how easy the move had been when her life depended on it. It was one thing to do it with her dad or a friend, but another thing when she was in danger. But she had learned well from Callen, to keep all other thoughts out of her head and remain focused on the job at hand.

Sam Hanna tore up the road to the park in his black challenger, with Deeks and Kensi just behind him in the silver SUV. They ran over glad to hear that Callen and Emily were safe from the man on the ground. Callen looked up amazed to see his team there already. "That was quick."

"Nell was watching on the cameras and told us immediately, before you got the distress code out." Callen turned looking for the cameras in the vicinity and saluted her.

Relief and a smile spread across Nell's face as she closed her laptop and finished her coffee. She looked over at Elise, nodded and smiled that all was well. "I have to go now, Elise. Thanks for the use of your wifi."

"Thank you, Nell, for looking out for my girl and her father. Take good care of Matt for me, won't you? He's been through more than anyone should ever have to deal with."

Nell tilted her head slightly. "You're still in love with him, aren't you?"

Elise laughed lightly. "I did for a long time. I still love him, but I'm not in love with him, like you are."

Nell blushed. "How did,"

"I used to have that same look in my eyes for him, as you do now." Elise's smile broadened. "There are many things that I wish had been different long ago, but sixteen years is a long time to hold onto something that you once had with someone, when you have no idea if they are even alive. I owed it to him to keep the memory of him alive for Emily and help her be ready for when she did meet him and for her to have a relationship with John. As well ensuring I had all the answers ready for him that he's been searching out for, for all of his life. I'm glad I did, but we've both changed so much since and I've put so much commitment into my marriage with Warren. There would never be a chance for us to go back to what we once had. But I am glad that he's got you and the rest of your team to be the family that he's deserved." Elise leaned over and hugged the petite analyst. "It's important for Matt to have the special woman in his life know who he really is, after so much quest to find out the truth himself. I wish you and Matt all the best."

Nell blushed again. "Thanks, Elise. I really appreciate it." Carrying her bag with her laptop in, she climbed into her mini cooper and drove over to the boat shed, knowing that soon, the team would be there questioning Mr Johnston, who they suspected to be another Comescu. She shook her head as she drove. "When are those Comescus ever going to learn, that you can't mess with a Callen?"

Distracted in her thoughts, she never saw the black van drive through a red light and smash into the side of her vehicle. Thrown about in her seatbelt, Nell gripped the steering wheel as her car spun around in the middle of the intersection and crashed into another vehicle.

_Nothing seems to go right for the team at the moment. Just when you think life will return to normal, chaos returns. It's a good thing Callen ensured Emily knew how to protect herself from danger, but what's happened to Nell? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	23. Chapter 23

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: I know you are curious as to what's happened to Nell. Here we go._

_Thank you for your continued support and for those of you who have left reviews, I appreciated them all._

**Chapter 23**

**_Somewhere…_**

Nell's head pounded when she came too. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dimly lit room, attached to a heart monitor and a drip. She tried to look around to see where she was, only to work out that she was in a hospital somewhere. _Where am I? _She looked at the bracelet on her wrist with her name and date of birth written on it and looked at it puzzled. The name, Stacy Wells did not register with her at all. The fog in her brain refused to allow her to think as fear in the pit of her stomach grew within her.

A nurse entered and she tried to sit up but could not move. She looked at the nurse with fear, but was greeted with a warm smile from the blonde woman. "Please don't move, Miss Wells, you've been in a car accident. You're body's endured a lot of battering, we don't want you to wear yourself out. You will need all of your energy to recover from your injuries."

Nell watched her check her vitals and tried to speak, but her voice refused to work. Frustration overtook her as she grabbed the woman's arms, pleading.

The nurse gently unclasped Nell's fingers from her arms and laid them back down on her bed, as if nothing was wrong. But Nell knew something was wrong. She had no memory of the name on her bracelet and the fact that her voice didn't work, worried her even more. She tried to get the nurse's attention again, but her eyelids became heavy again and drifted off into nothingness.

**_UCLA Sunset Canyon Recreation Center…_**

Callen's cell rang as he talked with Warren over taking Emily home with him and Sally. The Father-daughter event had been cancelled for the rest of the day, after such a shocking situation for the students to deal with. Especially for Emily and Sally, who had looked on in horror at her older sister.

"Hello, Agent G. Callen." The colour from Callen's face left him as a haunt from his not so long past spoke his name on the other end of the call. "I told you that I will one day escape and exact my revenge on you. I still have to kill all that you hold dear and it seems that there are so many more that you love than I realised. It is a shame I couldn't rely on a Comescu to do my work for me. You have trained your daughter well. She looks so much like your sister, don't you think? How is Amy and her family?" He gave a wicked laugh as Callen remained speechless on the phone, scanning the area for his nemesis.

"Did you not think that I would not make the connection to the Senator's wife after another of your father's enemies tried to kill her?" Callen grabbed onto Emily as she was about to leave with Warren and Sally and shook his head. He signalled to Sam to take Emily, concerning the former SEAL over the look he had, as he listened on the phone. Callen asked with his free hand for Sam's cell and began typing away on it who was on the phone and that he had been watching them. Sam nodded and sent a message to Eric to trace the call to Callen's cell. He also scanned the area, but there was no sign of the French Arms Dealer.

"You cannot protect all that you love at once, G. Callen. You will have no choice but to sacrifice yourself for one of them. I will call you back in an hour, when you realise that you have lost someone." He disconnected the call and rubbed the scar along the side of his mouth with his right hand. He was still adjusting to the artificial left hand and lower forearm he'd been given by a doctor who was on his books. The same doctor was attending to his latest prisoner. It was a relief to be the captor and not the prisoner, after fifteen months in the South Carolina jail. He had employed a nurse to watch over the petite red head analyst, one he'd yet had the pleasure of meeting in person. He'd employed some rogue former military personal to assist in crashing into the woman's mini cooper and to take her hostage. The plan had gone without a hitch once they had located her. He'd remained in his position hidden in a vehicle parked near the park as he watched Octavian Comescu fail in his attempt to capture the girl. Once he knew the plan there had failed, he'd driven off to the location for plan B. The woman whom he'd heard the agent had a soft spot for.

"Sam, I need you to take Emily home and get the whole family to a safe location. Ask Elise to find John and he too will need to be in protective custody." Callen's body was tense as he spoke with his partner. He looked to the junior team members. "Take him to the boat shed and see if you can get anything out of him about Janvier. I need to find him."

"G, you can't go alone." Sam worried that Callen would go lone wolf and there was too much at risk with Janvier involved.

"I need to you take care of them for me, Sam. Please!"

"Dad!" Emily's voice was pitched higher than normal when she saw how her dad was reacting. "What's going on?" As far as she was concerned, the danger had been captured. But now she realised that someone on the other end of the call had changed her father's visage. Anger and fear rippled through his body and across his face. The muscles in her stomach tied up in knots with worry.

Callen looked at her and drew her in for a hug. "It's alright, Em, you go with Sam. He'll take you back to your Mom."

"Why can't I just go with Warren and Sally?" A moment earlier he was happy for her to do that. Something or someone had made him change the plan.

Callen looked to Warren. "Sam will follow you back home. Get Elise and Jean and he'll take you all to a safe house."

"Matt, what's going on?" Warren too wanted answers. For the second time in six weeks, his family's life were in danger.

"Sam will explain it to you, but not here. It's not safe. We're being watched." Warren scanned the area and pulled Sally closer to him as he did.

Callen called Eric on his cell. "Eric. I need eyes and ears out for Janiver. I need to know how he escaped jail and where he's been since he's been in town. He was nearby, watching us."

Eric had arrived thirty minutes earlier at the Ops Centre and was catching up on the details of what went down after Nell called him. "Nell should meet you at the boat shed. She left the Mitchell house half an hour ago."

"Thanks, Eric." Callen continued to scan the area for any hints of the Frenchman. "Have you heard from Hetty?"

"She's on her way in, Callen." The sliding doors behind him swished opened as she entered. "She's just arrived."**  
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"I need to get Amy and her family to the safe house immediately. I'm on my way. Ask Hetty to call them so that they'll be ready when I arrive."

"Matthew." Henrietta Lange's voice boomed over the phone connection, grabbing his attention. "Stay safe. I'll meet you at the safe house as soon as possible."

"I will, thanks, Hetty." He disconnected his call and jumped into the Rapide. As he drove he tried Nell's cell but it only went into voice mail. He dialled Michelle' cell and hoped that she would pick up. "Michelle. Janiver has escaped. He says he has someone, are you and Marley okay?"

**_Hanna household…_**

"Yes, Callen, we're both fine. Is everyone in your team accounted for?"

Sam's taken Emily back home to get Elise and Jean, he's following Warren and Sally to make sure they make it back okay. Deeks and Kensi have another Comescu in their custody and Hetty's in Ops with Eric. Eric said Nell was on her way to the boat shed, but she's not picking up her cell." Callen bashed his fist onto the steering wheel when it hit him. "He's not had the time to get her, she was at Elise's until half an hour ago…"

"Callen?" The phone connection went dead, worrying Michelle even more. She called Marley inside and locked all external doors and windows. "Sweetheart, we need to go into the basement until Daddy comes home, okay?"

Marley nodded, not aware of the situation, but had been through the same drill before. "Okay, Mom." She never minded the drill, the two of them would spend the time playing card or board games to fill in the time and she enjoyed the quality time it gave her with her mother. But this time she noticed the worry in her mother's eyes and began to worry herself on what was going on.

Michelle grabbed her government issued weapon and placed it in the rear of her jean's waistband, with her backup strapped inside her left leg. She joined her daughter down in the basement, ensuring the door to the basement was secured.

**_Boat Shed…_**

Deeks and Kensi arrived at the boat shed expecting to see Nell's mini cooper parked outside. Kensi gave Deeks a look of worry and called her friend's cell. As Deeks led their latest bad guy through into the interrogation room, Kensi called Eric, to see if he knew where she was. "Hey Eric, Nell's not gone back to Ops by any chance?"

Eric quickly did a search on Nell's mini cooper GPS and found it no where near the boat shed. "I've found her GPS, Kens, but it looks like it's," Eric zoomed into the area he'd located Nell's car and fear knotted inside of him. "Kens, her car looks like its at a mechanics in Pamona? This doesn't even make sense. Nell was driving from the Mitchells' in Hancock Park. How could her car end up all the way out there?"

Kensi hitched in her breath with worry for her friend. "What about her cell, Eric?"

Eric entered a search and found it in another way out location. "This is even weirder. Nell's cell is in Garden Grove. How the hell is her cell all the way down there?"

"Because Janvier has Nell, Eric. Search out her footsteps from when she left the Mitchells' and time line her movements. Get Kaleidoscope to follow her too, we need to find out what happened before Callen gets wind of this." Kensi stressed to their tech.

"Why, what's Callen got to do with this? This isn't about him, this is my partner, my best friend he's got this time." Anger shot forth out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I'm sorry, Kens, I'm just worried about her."

"I know, Eric, we all are. Call me when you find her."

**_Ops Centre…_**

"On it, Kens." Eric typed away frantically when Callen entered the Ops Centre. Eric was so focused on what he was doing, he hadn't noticed.

"I need you to find Nell, Eric." Callen's voice scared the life out of the Technical Operator.

Eric remained focused where he was. "I'm doing that. What are you doing here?"

"Janiver told me he had someone I care about. Nell's the only one I cannot find." Callen stood behind the tech watching what Eric had already set in motion. "How the hell did her car end out in Pamona?"

"Just found her cell in Orange Grove. I know, he's playing with us."

"So we know for sure he has her then?" Callen's voice lowered to almost a whisper as fear consumed him.

Eric nodded. He turned and looked at the team leader with the same fear in his eyes. "Kensi called when she couldn't see Nell's car at the boat shed. That's when she asked me to search out her car and cell GPS'. I've traced her steps from when she left the Mitchells' and got to this intersection." Eric played the camera feed of the black van running a red light and hitting Nell's car. As they continued to hold their breaths and watch on in horror, two men climbed out of the van and pulled Nell out of the car and drove off with her.

"Can you find the van, Eric?" He looked at his watch and knew that he couldn't afford to take his sister to the safe house. "Where's Hetty?"

"I'm here, Matthew. What's…" Hetty stopped in her spot when she saw the replay of the accident on the large screen.

"No plates on the van, but the crash gave me particulars and I've found it at this warehouse in Montebello." Eric advised them.

"Bring the map up on the table will you, Eric." Callen moved around with Eric and Hetty following him. He placed a line between Hancock Park and Orange Grove and Venice Beach with Pamona. "Look, Montebello is in the middle of these locations. This is where Nell left to where she was heading and the locations her car and cell ended up in. "Janvier is playing chess with us again."

"Matthew, where are you going?" She held onto his arm with worry.

"Is Granger back yet?"

"Yes he is. He's at the boat shed." Hetty looked back at Callen and saw the clogs at work and worried at what plan he was going to come up with next.

"Get him to meet me at that location and call Sam to take Michelle and Marley to the safe house too. Hetty, I need you to get Amy and her family to the safe house," he pleaded with his eyes, "please. I need to get her out of there alive, Hetty. We cannot risk him blowing her up or killing her before I get to her."

"Not at the risk of your own life, Matthew. Your family need you. Your daughter needs you."

"I need Nell." His words rocked Eric, who up to this point hadn't a clue to what had been growing between his partner and the team leader. Hetty, on the other hand had seen the signs and was pleased he'd finally admitted his feelings for her.

"You what?!" Eric stuttered in shock over the admission.

Callen turned and looked at the tech. "I'm sorry, Eric. Things just happened between us." With that, Callen exited the room and left for his car. He typed in the coordinates and headed off to Montebello. He knew what Janvier wanted. To swap her life for his. It was always a game to the Frenchman, and now he understood why. He'd been chosen from the moment he set eyes on him at the age of four. Callen shivered but remained focused on his rescue mission to get Nell out of there.

**_Boat Shed…._**

"He's what?!" Owen Granger's voice boomed through the boat shed causing looks between Deeks and Kensi.

"He wants you to meet him at the warehouse to rescue Nell."

"No, call him back. He's not going anywhere near that warehouse, Hetty. Janvier will blow it up killing him and Nell with the press of a button."

Granger disconnected his call and exited the boat shed with anger and fear radiating off his body. He dialled John's cell to give him the news. "John, it's not good. Your boy's gone lone wolf to rescue Miss Jones from Janvier."

"Where? I'll meet you there." Owen Granger gave his old friend the address and pushed hard on the accelerator, hoping to arrive as soon as the team leader did, before he did anything stupid.

**_Montebello…_**

Owen and John stood outside the address that Eric had sent through and shook their heads. The bustling farmer's market streamed with shoppers making the most of the last day of bargains of the fresh produce. "Eric, you sure this is the address the van went to? There's no sign of Callen or Nell, but there must be hundreds of shoppers and vendors here. Can you find Callen for us, please." Owen sounded desperate and pleaded with the Technical Operator.

"His GPS on his vehicle shows him in Monterey Park. But his cell is in South Gate. What the hell?" Eric typed in kaleidoscope to trace Callen's whereabouts and looked up records on his cell. "Callen received a call twenty minutes ago from a burn phone. The cell tower for the burn phone was in the vicinity of South Gate. I'd go there first." Eric told the Assistant Director.

"Call him, see if he picks up." Owen signalled to John and swiftly left the farmer's market for the car. "We're going to South Gate. Looks like Janvier is playing games with us again."

Fear for his son's safety resonated in John's voice as he talked about how he'd never realised just how much Janvier's threat would eventuate. "If I had any thought that he was serious, I mean, Matthew was only four, for goodness sake."

"We will find him. Eric is the best at what he does." Owen tried to appease his old friend of his sons safety.

_Nothing appears to be going right for Callen or those he cares about, especially when Marcel Janvier is free to cause havoc. Love to know what your thoughts are, please leave a review._


	24. Chapter 24

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Things go from bad to worse in this chapter. Hold on tight. Thank you for your continued support and for the wonderful reviews. _

**Chapter 24**

**_South Gate…_**

Callen expected Janvier to ring him earlier than the time he stated. He was used to the older man's antics and had hoped to move faster than him. But once again he failed. The call came five minutes after he'd left for the Montebello address.

"Agent G. Callen. Have you worked out who I have?" Janvier's French accent accentuated his harsh words as he spoke to him.

"Me for her. You do not harm or touch her in anyway." Callen dreaded what injury or emotional strain the Frenchman could do to Nell before he got there.

"I see I have chosen the right one then. I did wonder about your daughter's mother, but your analyst was a better choice." He breathed deeply, satisfied he'd picked the right one.

"Time and place." Callen had no patience for Janvier's games. Not when it came to the lives of those he cared about.

"You were never a patient one, were you?"

Callen continued his drive without responding, hoping to get to the location sooner, rather than later.

"Okay, I'll give it to you. Branyon Avenue, South Gate. First lane way on the left, fourth building on your right. Come alone, or Miss Jones dies." Janvier disconnected the call and smiled through the one way mirror at his hostage. It had gone better than he'd expected. The car crash took the woman's memory and ability to talk. She had a fractured radius and ulna near the elbow, from the impact and a few bruised ribs. So far that was all the injuries he could see, with the small amount of medical equipment he'd procured with the doctor.

"I'll be there." Callen pressed down as hard as he could as he sped to the destination. Fifteen minutes later he pulled up outside the warehouse. He scanned the area and hoped Eric had found him, but as he stepped inside, he felt he'd walked into a hospital. He couldn't hear anyone and was surprised to find Nell on her own in a bed. He furrowed his brow in confusion and wondered what kind of game Janiver was playing with them now.

"Nell, it's me, Matt. Got to get you out of here." He assessed her injuries and noted the plaster on her left arm.

Nell opened her eyes and tried to move away from him. "Who are you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, slowly it was coming back after the seat belt bruised her voice box.

Callen saw the fear in her eyes and his heart broke when he saw the injury just inside her hairline. Concussion that had made her lose her memory.

"It's Callen. We work together. I need to get you out of here and take you to somewhere safe."

"I don't know a Callen, Matt or Nell." Her voice quivered as doubt entered her mind over the intruder.

"I need you to trust me, Nell. Nell Jones, that's your name." He pulled out his cell and showed her a photo of the two of them with Emily. "That's Emily, my daughter. You were at her house earlier helping her work out what to wear to the Father-Daughter picnic." He prayed that the photo would jog her memory.

Nell nodded to allow him to take her, now that he had proof that they were friends. As Callen led her outside, disbelief of his missing car was written on his face. He pulled out his cell to call for help, but a gun to his head made him stop. He couldn't even get an agent needs assistance alert out and mentally gave himself a Gibbs head slapped over his disregard for protocols. No one in his team knew where he was.

Marcel Janiver clapped his hands and gave an evil laugh, at the hero attempts made by the federal agent. "When will you learn, G. Callen, that I am smarter than you are at this game?"

Callen turned and saw his nemesis, holding his newly acquired robotic arm and hand. "How did you escape?"

"Oh that bit was easy. Due to the long lockdown placed on me, it takes a day or two before someone realises that I am missing. "I did tell you to read the Count of Monte Cristo for your own good."

Anger flared in Callen's cerulean eyes at the Frenchman. He'd read the book alright and had done everything possible to ensure he could never get out. But the proof was in the pudding that Janvier had indeed escaped.

"Come now, I have a surprise for you.' Janvier, with his hired armed men, led Nell and Callen back into the building, but to the rear of it, this time. It was darker and dirtier, with no windows to the outside. "Tie them up on opposite sides of the room."

Callen tried to resist, but when the men threatened Nell, he obeyed. "You said, my life for hers. You lied." Callen spat out to Janvier.

"I told you that you need to be more patient. I will let her go, but I still have a surprise for you."

**_Ops Centre…_**

More bad news came through to the Eric. Somehow, Namena Zivkovich had escaped prison and was nowhere to be seen. Two enemies of Callen's family were on the loose of Los Angeles. He dialled Hetty and then Granger to update them both. Both had responded badly to the news and had hung up on him, but he knew it wasn't his fault, oh he hated being the bearer of bad news.

**_South Gate…_**

Callen's eyes widen at the Serbian beauty as she walked into the room. She strode over to Nell and stroked her face with evil in her eyes. "So this is the woman whose got your heart and kept you from ravaging me six weeks ago?"

Nell looked between Callen and the woman, with no memory of what she was talking about. But fear for Callen grew inside of her when the woman moved her hands to places on her body that she would have punched the woman for, if she hadn't been tied up. She kicked and moved her injured body to keep herself free of the unwanted hands.

"You don't like me?" Namena whispered into her ears. "Perhaps you'd want me to work on your man over there instead. He's one handsome man, don't you think?" Namena stood up as Nell shouted out, her voice becoming stronger as time went on.

"No!" But the black haired beauty only ignored her and walked over to where Callen sat, with his arms tied above his head. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him and brought her mouth close to his. She allowed Callen to inhale her scent before she moved any closer.

Callen closed his eyes to block her poison out of his mind. He loved Nell, a fact he hadn't declared to her yet, there was no way he was going to have Nell watch this woman seduce him to the core and reveal his desires, no matter what electricity he felt for her six weeks earlier. He felt dirty then and so there was no way he was going to allow her to effect him again.

Janvier looked on with a satanic grin, satisfied of the effects the woman possessed over Callen. "He's all yours, Namena. Take him home with you, there's a ship waiting for you at Long Beach."

"No!" Callen tried to pry the woman off him, with no success.

"Come now, G. Callen. You should be thanking her, she has saved your life. This way, you will lose all that you love and still live." He walked over to Namena and whispered into her ear.

She stood up and unlocked the cuffs that tied Callen up. With a gun pointed to his temple, she led him outside to a waiting car. She pushed Callen inside the blackout window SUV and sat beside him. "This is going to be fun."

Ten minutes later, Owen Granger and John Summers pulled up outside the address in South Gate that Eric had provided them. With their weapons drawn, they entered the building and searched it out, until they found Nell in the rear of the building. "Nell, are you okay?" Owen kneeled down beside her and un-cuffed her.

Nell moved away from Owen once he had freed her. Her body shook and her arm sent shards of pain upwards as she moved her broken arm back into the sling. "She's taken Callen."

"Who has?" Owen saw the fear in the analyst eyes and wondered what had caused the fear. He noted the missing buttons on her shirt and thoughts of dread of what had happened to her, went through his mind with anger.

"She had an accent. Black hair. Wild. She, she," Nell tried to tell them, but the emotion of what she'd endured and the fact she still suffered concussion and felt alone and lost on who she was and who these men were, was too much for her.

"We'll take you to a hospital and call Nate. You can talk to him." Owen tried to soothe her panicked state.

"Nate?" She tried to think why the name was familiar, but she couldn't put a face to the name.

"Very tall, you've known him the longest out of all of us. He went to college with your brother, Adam." Owen Granger was pleased he had read her file, it was Nate who had recommended Nell to Hetty in the first place, to join the team.

Nell nodded, her brother's name was also familiar to her and a flash of memory returned. With that information gathered, she agreed to leave with Owen.

"Eric, tell Hetty I have Miss Jones. I'm taking her to a hospital to be checked over. We need Nate back to talk with her. Looks like she's suffering from concussion."

"On it." Eric made a few phone calls and was relieved to have Nell in safe hands. "What about Callen?"

Owen had his cell on loud speaker and saw Nell's reaction to the question. "Ship. He told the woman he had a ship ready for her at Long Beach."

"Eric, did you get that? Need to stop all ships out of Long Beach."

"Doing it now." Eric disconnected the call and contacted the coast guard, LAPD and all NCIS agents in the vicinity to drop everything and head to Long Beach.

But when the teams arrived at Long Beach and all ships were checked, not one found Namena or Callen on board. Frustration rippled through Owen and John over the whereabouts of their agent and son.

But what none of them realised, that the intel Janvier gave Namena was supposed to send them on a wild goose chase. Namena and Callen were secured on a private jet leaving Los Angeles behind, heading south into Mexico, where a private yacht waited for them to cruise through the Caribbean before heading east to the Mediterranean.

**_Boat Shed…_**

Octavian Comescu sat smug in the interrogation room picking up the stress on the two agents . "Can't find your man?" He knew about the Frenchman's revengeful plan against , whether he was successful or not.

Deeks moved forward and pushed him up against the wall of the boat shed. He wedged his left forearm against Octavian's neck, blocking his airways. "What do you know about Janvier's plan?" Deeks moved his face so close to the suspect, giving him no leeway to avoid asking the question.

"He, he had a surprise for him. A woman. Namena Zivkovich." He gasped for air as Deeks held firm against his throat.

"We know that. Tell us something we don't know." Deeks shouted into the Romanian's face. Sweat began to bead across Octavian's forehead as airflow to his body became harder to come by.

"A plane to Mexico, then boat, through the Caribbean to the Med." Octavian blacked out and collapsed under Deeks' hold as he fainted. Marty Deeks released his hold and helped Kensi lay him out on the floor.

Deeks dialled his cell to update Eric on the latest intel that they pulled from their suspect. "Eric, we've got the intel." Eric quickly rang Director Vance, knowing that they'd be playing catchup if they followed from Los Angeles.

"Director Vance, it's Eric Beale. We have a situation and we need your D.C. team's help." Eric filled in all the details to the Director and listened as Vance swore down the phone at the injustice brought onto Agent Callen.

"I'll get Gibbs and his team onto it straight away. Let me know when you have details on the yacht's name." He disconnected the call and dialled his lead in the D.C. team. "Gibbs. Is your boat still anchored at the Saint Petersburg marina?"

"Yes it is. What's up, Leon?" Gibbs climbed the stairs as he listened to the Director's details.

"We have a rescue mission for you and your team. But you need to leave Bishop behind. This one's for Ziva."

"You called her?" Gibbs entered Leon's office, surprised by the fact that Leon had called Ziva for this one.

"She's on her way. Already in the Miami area. She'll meet the three of you at the marina."

Gibbs looked over at Leon, placing his cell in his rear pocket. "Who are we rescuing?"

"Agent G. Callen. Janvier has escaped, sold him to a Serbian woman, a Namena Zivkovich, member of the crime family after Callen's father and the rest of his family. They're on a private jet heading for Mexico, where they are to board a luxury yacht to head for the Med. She's taken him as his slave."

"I heard about the woman, Callen told me. Is everyone else in L.A. safe from Janvier? I thought he couldn't escape the prison in South Carolina?" Anger flared in his blue eyes over the injustice of what continued to haunt his dear friend. "Callen called her a witch. Said she tried to seduce him weeks ago. I thought she was locked up too?"

"She had help and escaped earlier today. I need you to rescue Callen, we cannot afford to lose him out of our borders. Agent Hanna is leading the team on protection detail of the rest of Callen's family and hunting Janvier down."

"How did he capture him?" This was one detail that Gibbs couldn't work out. Callen was good a becoming a ghost, so how did the French arms dealer do it?

"He hired hit men to ram a van into Miss Jones' vehicle and took her hostage. Callen traded his life for hers."

The truth hit the older agent as he sat down on the other side to the Director. "He should have listened to me long ago. Rule no. twelve: never date a coworker."

"You know Agent Callen would have traded his life for any on the team, not just Miss Jones, no matter how much he feels about her?" Leon tried to reason with Gibbs, that nothing Callen could have done to have prevented this situation.

"He should have gone in with backup, not on his own. His stupid lone wolf tendencies have got him into this situation, Leon. I thought Sam would have got it out of him by now."

"He had Granger and his father for backup, but the location changed and they didn't get there until it was too late. Miss Jones was left at the building alone. Missed them by ten minutes."

"He still should have gone in with backup, Leon."

"They've been stretched for weeks out there, Gibbs, go easy on him."

"I'll shake those lone wolf tendencies out of him, when I find him. Keep us posted on the name of the yacht." Gibbs stood and exited the room and ran down the stairs. DiNozzo, McGee, gear up. We're going sailing." He turned to Ellie Bishop. "I need your eyes and ears on this one, Ellie, work with Eric Beale out of the Los Angeles Office. Once you receive the intel on what yacht we're after, I need to know."

"Yes, boss." Ellie sat back down at her desk and contacted Eric immediately, as the rest of her team flew out the door after their boss to Saint Petersburg, Florida.

_Let's hope Gibbs and his team can help find Callen in time before it's too late. I wonder how Nell's going with Nate and how Deeks and Kensi are doing in the boat shed with their suspect? Deeks really lost with the last of the Comescus, didn't he? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	25. Chapter 25

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Time to rescue Callen, hey! Thanks for your continued support. Need to end Janvier and Namena too. Hang on._

**Chapter 25**

Ziva jumped into Tony's arms when they arrived on board the Kelly. They kissed passionately as Gibbs and McGee placed all of their gear down below. They no longer worked together, so Gibbs' no dating co-workers rule no longer applied to them. "I've missed you." Tony told her lovingly.

Ziva's smile broadened. "I've missed you too, Tony." She pulled away from Tony and hugged Gibbs and McGee, both also pleased to be reunited with their former team mate. "As I have missed you too, Gibbs and McGee."

"It's good to see you too, Ziva." McGee's smile widened, it had been too long since he'd seen his good friend.

Gibbs returned her infectious smile. "Like old times. Glad to have you back, Ziva. Now let's set sail." They all nodded as they were used to Gibbs' straight forward focus on the job at hand. They all tended to the ropes and waited until Gibbs took them out of the marina, before hoisting the sails up and letting the wind take the Kelly out into the Gulf of Mexico. Word had come through an hour earlier of the name of the yacht, with a photo of what it looked like. It was a top of the range luxury yacht, that made the Kelly look tiny and worn out. But this boat had been made with love, at the hands of one, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The team were honoured to be allowed to sail with their boss and help rescue Agent Callen from the hands of a Serbian witch, as Gibbs had referred to her in front of them.

The sun rose from behind them as they sailed west, drinking in the warm October sun, smothered in sunscreen and hidden under their caps or brimmed hats. It took seven hours out at sea before they spotted the yacht that towered above them. Gibbs ordered them to pull the sails down and issued a mayday call. The yacht slowed down and allowed the team to board the ship. As Tony thanked the captain for his assistance with the help of Ziva, who distracted the crew in her skimpy white bikini and long dark flowing hair, Gibbs and McGee searched for Callen on board the ship.

In a room two levels below, Gibbs heard Callen's muffled cry out for help, when he breached the room. Tied up on a bed, Gibbs fired his weapon at the woman, shooting her in the head. She fell off Callen dead, and a pool of dark red blood bled out of the wound, soaking into the white satin sheets. Callen pulled himself away from her, into a ball, hiding himself from Gibbs. "I don't want you to see me like this." His voice sounded foreign to Gibbs and he wondered just how much the younger man had been through at the hands of this witch.

His pleading broke Gibbs' heart in two as he ignored the state he'd found Callen in and focused on un-cuffing him from the bed head. He found some clothes and left the room, while Callen dressed himself. Scanning the hallway for movement, he was pleased he'd used a silencer, as no one knew what had happened down there. When Gibbs saw McGee come his way, he signalled for him to head back up to the deck. Soon after Callen exited the room after he'd double checked that Namena was indeed dead. He never wanted to see her alive ever again, after all she had done to him. He was a broken man, old haunts from his days in the system came flooding back, his walls around his heart fell when she broke him again and again. His body was already scarred from the abuse in his teenage years and later from his days as a federal agent. But now, his body bore the scars of Namena's bite marks. She'd been vicious and he regretted ever meeting her six weeks prior. He wished he'd thrown her into the harbour to drown and feed the sharks. But he knew he couldn't turn back time. With his head down, he followed Gibbs' every movement to the deck and climbed down onto the Kelly. Once on board, Tony and Ziva joined them, after tying the captain and his crew up and called the coast guard.

They set sail for Baytown, just outside of Houston and made the call through to Ellie to tell them that they had killed Namena and rescued Callen. Relief for the Director and the Los Angeles team flooded through them all, knowing that Callen was safe and heading home. It took them a few hours before they reached land.

Up in Los Angeles, Sam remained focused and tense, he refused to stop searching for Janvier. With his wife, Michelle beside him and Deeks and Kensi backing them up, they search through every location Eric could find that Janiver had been since fleeing South Carolina and on his previous visits to Los Angeles. But with no success.

Back on the Kelly, Callen sat with his legs over the edge of the smaller boat, appreciating the sea breeze blowing across his face as he saw Texas approach in the distance. He knew he was fortunate it was Gibbs who had entered that room. He trusted Gibbs to keep the details on what condition he had found him in, to himself, but it still didn't stop tears from falling down his face. He was a broken man and wondered if he would ever heal from this. Janvier had sourced his juvenile records and provided her with the details of the abuse he'd suffered in the foster care system. She had used that information to break him. All the efforts he'd worked damn hard on to overcome those dark years, broke apart, shattering into millions of pieces. He was known for being a strong man, a silent hero, protecting the innocent, unsurpassable at dealing with the most difficult of difficult situations. What he and his team came across day by day would break anyone. Yet he had managed to compartmentalise them, separating his own emotions from them. Sam had wondered how he had managed to do it, when a case came close to Sam's heart and tore at him. But now, he couldn't see past the present. His breathing became ragged as he tried to prevent a panic attack on the boat. it had been years since he'd had them, and he had Hetty to thank for getting him the help to overcome them. She had given him the skills to meditate and separate himself from the events that had led him to dispair. It was what helped him to become a great agent.

Gibbs looked over and saw the despair in his friend's posture. He asked Tony to take over at the helm and joined his dear friend up front. He was known for being a good listener and just sat with Callen, knowing he'd talk, once he was ready.

"Thanks, Gibbs. For rescuing me." Callen turned after what felt like eternity to Gibbs, after he had sat down.

Gibbs gently squeezed Callen's shoulder for support. "You know I would sail the world to find you, Callen. I would never give up looking for you."

Callen only nodded, but it was enough for the older man. Neither man were big on words, but he also knew Callen needed to talk to someone about his ordeal.

"You're the strongest soul I've ever encountered, Callen. No one should have to endure all what you've been through, but you get back up and get on with your life. You've done it before, you can do it again." He hoped his words would make Callen realise that he was right and that it would give him the strength to fight back. "Don't let her or Janvier win. You have your family back, a daughter who loves you. Nell."

Callen shook his head. "No. I am not worthy of any of them. No good. Never have been."

"That's not true, Callen and you know it. You do deserve to be happy. Take some time off and spend it with your family. If I'm right, you probably have a year's worth of holiday accrued by now."

A smirk appeared on Callen's face. "You know me too well." His face became serious again. "I can't let them know what she did to me. That I allowed her to do those things to me." His voice quavered as his emotions got the better of him. "I can never be the man Nell deserves, nor the father Emily needs. Not after this. It's best if I just go. Vanish without a trace."

Anger rippled through Gibbs at the heartbreaking words spoken by Callen. "Don't you dare disappear on anyone. Let them be there for you, so you can heal. If you leave, how will you get over this?"

Callen looked over at the older man, tears welled up in his eyes. "I can't. I just can't. Please. Let me go."

"You know I can't do that Callen. I can't let you go." Gibbs looked sad at his younger friend, knowing all the pain he'd been through. He'd tried for years to help him get over it.

Callen shook his head. "Then I have no choice." Before they even pulled into the harbour, Callen jumped off the Kelly and dived under the water. Gibbs sounded the alarm and dived in after him, but the murky water didn't allow him visual of his friend. McGee threw in a life saving ring for their boss to hang onto, but Gibbs kept diving down, searching for Callen.

Two hours of searching came to a halt, when daylight vanished. Gibbs was heartbroken and hoped Callen had made it to land and was somewhere safe. He was good at becoming a ghost, but without any money, he worried over his friend on what would become of him.

Gibbs nodded and McGee sent the message through to Ellie that Agent Callen had jumped off the boat and after two hours of searching had failed to find him. Leon Vance paced his office in anger and rang Gibbs himself to find out answers as to Callen's disappearance.

"Leon, if you saw what I saw, you would understand why he's gone. What that woman did to him, after all he's suffered during his years in the system, I'm not sure he can pull himself out of this. He needs time to heal. But he doesn't think he's worthy of his family to love him."

"What did she do to him, Gibbs?"

Gibbs swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I can't tell you, Leon. I promised him I would never tell anyone."

Leon knew from the way Gibbs told him that Callen must have been in a bad way and all manner of thoughts entered his head. He shook his head to clear them before he rang Hetty. He braced himself for her wrath as he called her to tell her that her favourite agent had disappeared.

**_Doheny Road, Beverley Hills…_**

Henrietta Lange sunk into her chair over the news that Leon Vance gave her. As she looked over at John and Amy and then at Elise and Emily, a tear escaped down her cheek. This was not the news that she wanted to deliver to any of them, but knew that she had to. How was she going to tell them that Callen had vanished on his own free will because of what the Serbian woman had done to him? Without the details, which Gibbs promised never to tell, her mind brought up many variables that came back to one thing. Namena had abused Callen until it broke him. It broke her to the core that her boy had to suffer such inhumane treatment of his body once more. She stood up and walked around her garden for some peace, thinking back to the many times she had found Callen curled up underneath a tree in her garden, bruised and his body shaking. The abuse he had suffered at the hands of men who should never been allowed to be foster parents had made her blood boil. But instead of allowing her feelings to show, she had treated his wounds, many of which she wished she had never seen and had tried meditation over the years to forget. But they all came flooding back to the forefront of her mind of the cruelty Clara's boy had suffered all because the Comescus had killed his mother. _I am sorry, Clara, I have failed him again._

It was John who had picked up on Hetty's distressed state and walked over to her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to soothe her, but she remained on her knees under a tree, where she had found Callen many times in despair. He was patient with her and waited for her to tell him the news.

"He's gone, John. Jumped off the boat. Gibbs looked for him for two hours, but he's disappeared."

"Why, I don't understand?" John kneeled down beside her, with his heart breaking.

"Namena broke him, John. It's the only thing that makes sense of why he's gone. He can't live with himself after all that he went through from her and what he endured in the system. You never saw him after he'd been bashed and abused so badly by a rotten foster father. I would find him lying curled up underneath this tree, crying. It took me weeks to heal him, not just his physical injuries, but his emotional as well. The fact that he grew up and became a healthy member of society was an achievement in itself. Then I had to send him back into the system, because I had no idea where you were, or who you were." Her body shook as she let down her own defences and cried in John's arms, who also cried for his son. The only other person Callen had ever told of the abuse he'd suffered as a kid was Elise, who stood back and watched the scene under the tree. She turned and spoke quietly with Warren and told him not to tell anyone where she was going.

**_L.A. General Hospital…_**

Nate was sitting with Nell talking her through events in her life to help her remember. Deeks had been in earlier with her weapon incase she needed to protect herself, but she had stared at him as if he was mad. "How would I know how to use it?" With her memory loss, she couldn't even find a memory of holding it and immediately placed it underneath her pillow, so it was out of sight. She knew something was going on, but no one would tell her. She didn't blame them, it probably was for the best until she remembered who she was and who they were. Nate brought up photos of her and the team and told her funny stories about each of them. She'd laughed and regretted it with the bruising on her ribs, but Nate really had a funny way to explain each of the team. When Deeks entered, thoughts of the funny stories Nate had told her about him, came flooding to the forefront of her mind. She liked Deeks, she decided. He was funny but caring. She couldn't believe she had set Deeks up to lose at his own card tricks with the help of Callen and another member of the team, with her using a uv camera on the cards from a distance. But it sounded like they were a great bunch of people that she worked with.

She had fallen asleep and when she woke up, Nate was no where around. A man entered her room and fear consumed her. The man who had taken her hostage, the one with the funny left hand. Memories of the past, all the evil he had done on Callen and the team returned to her like a fast speeding train. She pulled her weapon out from her pillow and switched off the safety. She aimed it at him with her right hand, focused and her breathing calmed down. _Trust my training._ Callen's words entered her mind as she kept her eyes on her target. She had never killed a man before, but the evil in the Frenchman before her made her determined to ensure that he never lived another day on the earth. It was for good, she told herself. "I know who you are. What evil you've done. The people you've killed and what you've done to Callen."

Janvier laughed at her, as if she was weak and never feared the gun pointed at him. "You'll never do it. You've not got it in you too."

"Callen has trained me. I can and I will." Before he grasped what she had said, she pulled the trigger and fired. The bullet shot out the end of the pistol and flew through the air at lightning speed and entered Janvier's temple. Shock was evident on his face as he fell to the floor. Nate, Deeks and Kensi came running up the hallway after hearing the gunshot. They saw the pool of blood and feared for their team mate.

"Nell!" Kensi's voice echoed through the ward of the hospital as staff members came running out from hearing the gunshot.

They stopped outside Nell's room in shock at the body on the floor and the look of determination on Nell's face as she still held the gun out in front of her.

Kensi walked over to her and took it off her. "Good girl, Nell. You did it."

Nell looked wide eyed at Kensi, "I did. I killed him." Her body went into shock and Kensi sat down and held her until she settled down.

"Callen would be proud of you, Nell. Good girl."

_Things have gone dark in this story. Callen's vanished and Nell's killed Janvier. Where has Elise gone to? Love to hear from you, please leave a review._


	26. Chapter 26

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: You probably have a lot of questions by now on what's going on. Everything has turned upside down multiple times. Nothing is looking good is it? Let's see how the people around Callen deal with this and if anyone can help him now that he's at the lowest he's been since his teenage years. Actions have consequences. What will be the consequences for Callen's disappearance? How will people around him react? _

**Chapter 26**

**_Secluded cabin, Silver Bay, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia…_**

It took Elise five days to find Callen. She had almost given up that he would come to the only place she could think of that he would disappear to. It had been their sanctuary, where they went to get away from it all. She'd paced the cabin, cried and prayed for him to come there, so she could save him. She'd done it before and she prayed that he would let her her do it again. She'd scanned the secluded inlet to the lake for signs, movements of a man who'd lost everything. She was good at finding his movements, no matter how stealthily he moved. But day after day, there remained no sign of him.

Elise was lying on the bed on her fifth night in the cabin, when Callen opened the door. Destitute and exhausted after his days of travelling to this location from the harbour, all he wanted was to sleep forever. Elise turned and saw the look of despair in his eyes. She stood up and walked over to the man she once loved. He was a shadow of his former self and it chipped away at her heart.

"Matt." She whispered softy his name, hoping that he had heard her.

Callen should have known she would be there. Once news got out that he'd vanished without a trace, she would come here. To their place, where happy memories remained. He looked down at her and saw the grief in her eyes, but also hope. Hope that she could help him come back from this. "Go." His voice was harsh in tone, wishing to spare her from him.

Elise shook her head. "No, Matt. You need me. I'm not going anywhere."

He crumbled at her kindness, her willingness to be there for him at his lowest of lows. He leaned into her shoulder and cried. His body shook from all that he'd been through from the hands of Namena. He'd expected the worst to have come from Janvier, but he'd played him once again. His life for Nell's. That had been the deal. He'd expected death, but what he got was hell. Torture and abuse, stripping his soul down to the barest of bones.

Elise rubbed his shoulders and arms, to soothe him. Tears of her own at seeing him like this fell down her cheeks, but she never bothered to wipe them away. Callen needed her more than ever before and she needed to repair him for himself. Not for her. Her right to him vanished the moment she left Washington D.C. and returned to New York with her parents. But for Emily and Nell. They all deserved him to be whole again.

**_Five days earlier in Los Angeles…_**

"We've got to get Nell out of here." Deeks stressed to his partner, who remained holding their intelligence analyst. Seeing the blood on the floor and the dead body of Marcel Janvier et at him from the inside. His voice rose higher in pitch as panic began to bubble to the surface.

"Deeks?" Nate watched the detective's body begin to shake as shock over everything that had happened from the past six weeks, began to set in. He placed his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

Deeks looked back at him with fear in his eyes. "We've got to get out of here." He whispered to the Operations Psychologist.

Nate nodded, agreeing that it was best for all of them to do so. He looked over to Kensi and saw her stand with Nell who remained in shock over what she had done, her eyes remaining fixed on the body. Together they swiftly exited the ward, explaining their reasons to the nurses for taking Nell with them.

Sam and Michelle entered and stared at the scene. Relief flooded their system that Janvier was dead, but news of Callen's disappearance now overtook the former Navy SEAL. He looked at his four team mates and realised that Deeks was crumbling and Nell was in shock. "What happened?" He asked Nate, hoping for an explanation before they left.

"I killed him." Everyone looked at Nell who admitted what she had done. "He was evil. Pure evil. It was me or him." She looked like a zombie to those around her.

"Good girl." Sam praised her, but the vision of Deeks and Nell's state of mind worried him.

"Callen, where is he?" Nell looked up at Sam with pleading in her eyes. Her memory had returned with a full force that winded her. Fear for the man she loved took over from her own worries.

The sadness in Sam's eyes worried her again. "No. Where is he?"

"Nell, he's vanished. Gibbs and his team rescued him, but he jumped off the boat and swam away near the harbour. We have no idea where he's gone to." He understood Nell's need to know the truth, but he wondered whether he should have kept the truth from her after all she'd been through.

"No. He can't leave like that. He needs us, don't you understand? He doesn't think any of us care about him. I've got to go and find him." She grabbed Kensi's cell from her pocket and searched for Elise's number.

"Nell, what are you doing? Callen's not got his cell on him." Kensi tried to reason with her.

"Elise. She'll know where he's gone to. I need to go to him and make him realise that he's loved by all of us." The pleading in her eyes caught them all off guard. None of them realised just how much Nell felt for their team leader.

Michelle looked to Sam. "She's got a point, Sam. If anyone knows where he's gone, Elise will know."

Sam thought about what Nell and Michelle said and agreed. "Okay, but I will call her." They all exited the hospital and waited for Sam to get off the phone from talking with Elise.

After what seemed an eternity, Sam walked over to them. "You were right, Nell. Elise knows where he's gone to. Well she hopes that's where he's heading. A place G bought years ago, to get away from it all. A secluded cabin, but she's refused to tell me where. Said that she had to go alone for her plan to work."

"No. She can't do this, she doesn't love him like I do. Not anymore." She halted after she realised exactly what it was that she had said. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and walked away. Her body shook with nerves and worry for Callen. Her thoughts consumed her, as her brain worked hard on a plan. She turned to Sam, who had walked over to her. "We can ask Eric to place a trace on her and find where she's gone to."

Sam sadly shook his head. "She'll go dark if we do, Nell. She made me promise her that we won't do that."

Nell shook her head. "What am I supposed to do?" She held her head in her hands, with desperation.

Sam wrapped his arms around the petite red head. "She'll bring him home, Nell. That I can tell you."

"But what if she can't?" Her voice quavered as her emotions of the past two days consumed her.

"Go home with Kensi and Deeks. Stay with them for a few days until you feel up to going home to your apartment." Sam suggested.

"I can't do that to them. Deeks isn't looking good, Sam." She looked over at the detective and female agent and wondered how none of them could see that nothing was right at all. Everything was wrong. Until Callen came back to them, nothing would ever be right.

Nate wandered over to see how Nell was doing. "Nell, Kensi said you can stay with them for a few days. Would you like me to drive you there?"

"What? Nate, how could you suggest that? Deeks needs Kensi. I can't go with them." She pulled away, desperate to find Callen. She tried to think back to any details in Callen's file that might suggest a location for this cabin. _Nothing._ She tried to think back to all the conversations she'd had with Callen, all the times she'd helped him in searching for his father. But there was no hint to a secluded cabin where he went to, to be alone.

"Nell?" Nate followed her over to the tree that shaded a few cars at the edge of the car park. The crime scene team had arrived to go over the carnage she had left up on the third floor ward and the coroner followed in behind them. Her body shivered as Nate approached her. "You can't be alone. Not after what you've been through. Go with Kensi and Deeks. He'll be fine. Just the shock of seeing Janvier brought back memories for him. That's all. Away from here will do him good. It will be good for you too."

Nell shrugged and followed him back over to the silver SUV and climbed in. She felt like a child being told what to do by her parents, not a grown woman, desperate to find the man she loves and help him deal with his demons.

To Nell's surprise, Kensi didn't drive home. She headed west to Will Roger's State Beach and parked the car. She remained quiet as she watched her partner step out of the vehicle and walk down the sandy beach to the shoreline. He stood at the water's edge, looking out across the Pacific Ocean. Kensi turned and looked at her friend. "Want to join us? I find it's good for the soul."

Nell nodded and followed, finding her own spot on the sand. The grains of sand felt warm, taking the cold from the past two days from her body. She appreciated the clean set of clothes Kensi had given her earlier, pleased to get rid of the dirty and torn clothes she'd spent ages choosing to wear the day before. She crossed her legs over and focused on the rhythm of the water, releasing the horrors of the past two days from her mind.

Kensi walked over and stood by her partner, taking his hand in hers. She looked out to sea like Deeks was doing and remained a silent support for him. "Nell's right. We've got to find him, Kens. I know what Sam said, but he needs to know that we care about him." He turned to face her, tears spilled from his welled up eyes. "I can't bare to think what that woman has done to him, to make him think he can't return to us." His voice cracked at the seams, as he pulled Kensi closer to him and wrapped himself up in her arms. "He needs to know he's worth saving, Kens. I've been there, I know what he's feeling. Alone and unloved. Unworthy of life itself." He choked on a sob as he cried in her arms. He'd tried to be strong, the woman beside him had helped him be that way. But after the past two days, he was no longer sure of himself. All he felt was a need to help Callen.

"I will help you. Trust me." She whispered in return. "Just let us take a day or two to breathe, okay? Let Elise find him first, then we can find him and tell him how much he means to us. I know where you're coming from, Marty. It was so good to see him so happy with this family, especially with Emily."

"Thanks, Kens." They remained in a hug till the sun went down. It had been two extremely long days.

**_Two days later…_**

Kensi surprised Nell by acquiring her laptop, which to their amazement had remained in her bag in the car after all of this time. "Time to find Elise, Nell." She gave her friend a warm smile, hoping it would bring her out from the depression she'd fallen into since they'd left the hospital. She left her friend to do her thing in searching for Elise, wherever she'd gone to. "I found her."

Deeks and Kensi looked over and smiled to her. "Yippee! Road trip." Deeks grinned over to his partner. Kensi was relieved to see her partner and friend had both perked up, now that they had their location to find Callen. With their own mission in mind, they set off before the sun rose over the city of Los Angeles. With their cells left behind and the vehicle GPS turned off, they headed east for Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia.

**_Silver Bay, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia…_**

They laid down side by side on the bed that they had shared many times before, with Elise's arms wrapped around him. When they were together he'd sleep through the night and now she prayed that he would do that again. She was there for him and for only him right then. When the nightmares consumed him, she would make them go away. When he cried, she would soothe him. When anger took over, she would calm him down. Relief crossed her face when she noticed his breathing had slowed and deepened, knowing he'd finally fallen asleep. She doubted that he'd slept during the past week, since he'd been taken captive. Everything had gone mad since she'd last seen him, smiling and feeling nervous about the Father-Daughter picnic. It was the happiest she'd ever seen him, and thought _about time too_. He deserved that happiness and she was determined to help him return to that place again. But she knew he was hurt deep and it would take him time to get back there. She'd told Warren that it might take a few weeks before she would return. He trusted her and that she was thankful for his trust in her. She only hoped that she could do what she came there for. To rebuild what Namena destroyed.

I_ know there wasn't a lot of dialogue in this one, but their thoughts were important to this story. Do you think Elise can do it one more time? Or will she need Nell, Deeks and Kensi to help Callen return to his old self? Who do you think is right? Deeks and Nell, or Elise? Love to hear from you, please leave a review._


	27. Chapter 27

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Wonder how the search and healing are going? Thanks for your continued support and wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 27**

**_Los Angeles…_**

Sam cursed under his breath when he stopped by Deeks and Kensi's apartment and found no one home. Although Hetty had given them time off after the events five days earlier, he never thought that they would actually leave and go searching for Elise and Callen. He paced the apartment and stared at the abandoned cell phones. _No wonder why no one answered his calls._ He felt out of the loop, alone with only Michelle, Granger and John to help him back at the Office of Special Projects. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell Eric or Hetty what the others had done. _Ignorance is bliss_, he tried to tell himself, but he was a former Navy SEAL. The SEAL code was inbred into his brain, there was no way of getting it out of his system. He needed to follow his team to find Callen. _Damn it._ _Callen was his partner after all. His brother and best friend. Didn't he deserve to go too?_

"Sam, have you found them?" Owen Granger's voice came through on the comms as Sam shrugged to Michelle. He was thankful that at least he had Michelle to step in and be his partner through all of this latest mess. She had been itching to return to the CIA, but he had put a hold on her going back, worried that he'd lose her. Now he saw her work seamlessly beside him and wondered whether he'd been wrong and selfish in refusing her to return as Quinn.

"No. They've left their cells behind." Sam admitted, feeling frustrated on the mess the team was in. They were a close team but everyone appeared to be doing their own thing and go off the reservation. It was time to sort them out. "But I know where they've gone. It will take a few days, Assistant Director, but I will bring them all home." He had lied to Nell when he said that Elise hadn't told him where she was going to prevent them from doing just that. Now he knew that he had to go and it was time to bring them all home, to be the team and family that they were.

"Bring them home, Sam." Owen Granger sighed as he disconnected the call and saw John, Hetty and Eric look at him. "It's the only way to do this right. So much wrong has happened. It's time to do it Sam's way. He knows what's best."

Owen Granger's admission brought a hint of a smile to the former spy and Technical Operator. After all the angst the team had endured over the years with the Assistant Director, finally he'd capitulated and admitted that Sam did know what was best for the team. Hetty nodded and left the Operation Centre to leave the men to talk shop whilst she called Hannah to update her on the situation. She had to admit to herself that she was pleased that her people had gone after her boy, it proved to her their loyalty to Callen beyond the call of duty. He wasn't in any danger from an enemy this time, only from himself and the self destruction he could do if he was left alone. She had worked out that Elise had gone to find him and was pleased, but not as much as knowing that the team had gone as well. "They will help you, my dear Matthew. All you've got to do is let them in. You are worthy to be loved, can't you see that by now?" She prayed that their venture would make him realise this truth. As she sat down at her desk and poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea, she dialled the number for Hannah.

**_Silver Bay, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia…_**

The sun had barely peeped over the horizon when G. Callen walked outside and sat on the balcony overlooking the inlet off the lake. The air was still, not a bird stirred as the golden glow began to shine in the distance. It brought out a brilliant display of red and yellows on the autumn leaves and took his breath away. It did it to him every time he saw it. This really was his favourite time of year to be by the lake and wondered why it had taken him so long to return. But he knew the answer. There were too many memories of her there. The love of his life who had given birth to his daughter fifteen and a half years ago. Now here he was there once more with her, but she was no longer his. How much the time had changed them both. He knew he would always love her, but their love had changed. It belonged more in the past but they would sacrifice everything to save the other. He understood that was why she had left her husband and children to be there right then with him. But not in the way she had before. He doubted he could ever be in a relationship like that again. Not after what he'd suffered. Yet he still needed her.

"There you are." Her voice was soft as he remembered it to be all those years ago. If he forgot just how old they both were, he could almost think the clock had been turned back to sixteen years earlier, when it was just the two of them. He wondered if she had been pregnant on their last time here together. "What are you thinking about?" She noticed the look he had on his face, it had been different to the one he greeted her with the night before.

"Us. The last time we were here together." He turned to face her and gave her a small smile. "I could almost forget about the present and believe that there was only us to think about."

"But?" She saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"How could I forget Emily, our daughter? She's one amazing girl, Ellie. Fifteen and a half years. I've missed so much of her life." He choked on his words, he had so many emotions rushing through his body. There was so much for him to deal with, it overwhelmed him.

Elise sat down beside him and placed her arm over his shoulders, like she used to do. "I know, Matt. So much has happened. There were many times in the early days I prayed for it to be so different. I kept running through the events that had happened, if only this, if only that. But the fact was, it didn't matter what I tried to redo in my head, nothing changed. We had been torn apart against our will." Her voice was barely above a whisper, not daring to crack under her own emotion. "You deserve so much more than I could ever give you, Matt. I'm sorry." She gently placed her hand on his cheek and moved his face in line with hers. "You deserved the family, our family. To be my husband and Emily's father. But I can't turn the clock back. You deserve all the happiness in the world and I know that I can't give that to you anymore. Emily and Nell can give you the love that you need. You've got to let her inside your heart, Matt. Nell loves you like I used to." She softly kissed his cheek and stood up, needing to think. She was there for him, but now she wondered if she was the right person to do it.

"Ellie, please don't leave me." She heard the desperation in his voice, worried that she would go away. She turned with tears in her own eyes. "I need you. I've always needed you. You get me, hell, you know me better than I know myself."

She understood he needed her, but not in the way she knew he needed her. He had turned to her like he had in the past, but it was no longer the past. "I know, Matt. I'm not going anywhere, I just think that I'm no longer the right person to help you get out of this one." Callen understood where she was coming from and he respected that from her. He stood up and took her hands in his. "I can't do this alone, Ellie. There's so much to deal with, not just what she did to me. I still haven't dealt with all the rest,"

"I know that. That's why I'm here, as your friend."

"My best friend." He added.

Ellie smiled, warmed by his kindness and understanding. "What about Sam? Won't he get jealous?" She half laughed at the notion of Sam being jealous of her with regards to Callen.

"He's more my brother, Ellie." He smirked. She was pleased she had a least managed to bring a smile on his face, even if it was a brief one.

They returned to a peaceful rhythm sitting out on the deck drinking coffee and eating the cooked breakfast that Ellie had made. Every now and then she would hear Callen hitch in his breath and tense the muscles in his body as another wave of emotion hit him. She was aware of his meditation skills that Hetty had taught him long ago, but even now she saw how much he struggled to deal with everything. "Want to tell me about it?" She finally asked him. He needed to talk but so far hadn't told her anything of what he'd been through.

He shrugged, unsure if he was able to. His hand fisted into a tight ball as rage rippled through him. "I can't." Memories of what Namena had done to him mixed with the abuse he'd suffered growing up in the system. His breathing became rapid as he was drawn into the nightmare.

Elise became worried when she saw his blank stare into nothingness. He was no longer with her but caught up in the horror from a week ago. He tensed his jaw and she tried to appease him with her hand on his arm. But he grabbed her hand so hard, she yelped out in pain. He yanked her inside and threw against the wall, pinning her with his body. His visage darkened as fear for her own safety became a concern, realising he had no idea who she was.

"Matt, its me, Elise. Let me go. Please."

It took him a moment to come out of the madness and release her. When he realised what he'd done he fell onto his knees and cried. "I'm so sorry, Ellie. So Sorry."

She knelt down beside him and rubbed his back to soothe him. "I know you are, Matt. It wasn't your fault." Her hands and arms throbbed in pain, but she hid it from him, knowing he'd lost control over his actions. This was breaking him apart, and she knew this was what he feared the most: loss of control when the nightmare took hold of him at any moment.

She stayed beside him until he'd calmed down again. Once he'd settled, she led him over to the bed and suggested he rest. He obeyed like a child, allowing her to stroke his forehead until he drifted off to sleep. When his breathing dropped into a slow and deep rhythm, she decided to head out for a walk. She left him a note incase he woke, fearing she had left him. She stepped onto the familiar trail and headed east for the southern section of the inlet. She breathed in deeply the smell of decayed leaves as they fell onto the grown. The damp compost smell brought back memories of happier times at the lake. Flashes of a happier time when she and Callen had hiked this trail. A time when she hoped that she was already pregnant with Emily. It wasn't until that last day, when her mother demanded that she return immediately, did she know for sure that she was pregnant with Callen's child. She came to a clearing on the opposite side of the inlet to Callen's cabin and stopped. She found the bench seat that had been there for as long as she could remember and sat down. Tears fell from her face as she remembered back sixteen years to happier times. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She felt so small here, the trees overshadowed her in their autumn glory. She watched some chipping sparrows fly above her and wondered how long it would be before most of the birds would migrate south for the winter.

When Callen awoke from his sleep, it took him a while to realise where he was and what had happened. A tear escaped when he remembered hurting Elise. Noticing her absence, he saw her note and read it. _Gone for a walk to the south of the inlet. Will be back soon. Remember I will always love you._

Her words touched his heart and stitched some of the damage, but he was far from repair. He remembered a suggestion Nate had given him once and searched the cabin for a notebook. He found one in a draw and opened it to begin writing his feelings and thoughts down. If he couldn't tell Elise, he could at least write them down. He hoped that it would help him in some way. But what he found surprised him. The notebook already had been used, but not by him. He recognised the writing immediately and realised it was Elise's. Who else could it belong to anyway, only the two of them ever came here. This had been their place.

_12th August 1999_

_We've been at the cabin for a week, neither of us are keen to return to the city. After our two months undercover as the Summers I feel G and I have become as close as two can ever be. He's trusted me with all of his darkest secrets and each of them have broken away at my heart. How can someone endure so much pain and abuse and still be this most amazing man I have ever met? He thinks of others before himself, he is the least selfish person on this planet. How did I ever get to be so lucky to have him in my life and choose me to fall in love with? He's never said the words, but I see it in his cerulean eyes, that make me lose myself in when I look into them. My heart flutters, bolts of lightning ripple through my body when he makes contact with me. And when he kisses me, oh, how can I put that into words. I feel like I am falling from Angel Falls in the warmth of his love. Yet he has no idea how wonderful he is. He's been hurt deep at such a young age, it's a miracle that he's managed to get himself out of the darkness and choose to be good. _

_25th August 1999_

_I know for certain that I will never love another human being like I love G. He's an amazing lover and the most worthy man I know. He is patient, kind, loving and loyal. When his face lights up he's a different person, and I am so in love with him. I know he suffers from nightmares, but he sleeps better when I am with him. Sometimes he makes it through the night, which he tells me he's not done since he can remember. He's looking more refreshed the longer we are together. We've been partners for two years and lovers for 14 months. I'm delaying our return because I know my parents have been hounding to visit me for a while. Going undercover delayed it and now I feel safe here with him. I wish we could forget our lives and stay here forever. I don't care for wealth or position in society like my parents do. What I care and love the most in this world is here with me right now. _

_8th September 1999_

_I know it appears that I only get to write in this journal sporadically, but time isn't important here. We've walked many of the trails around the lake and explored the many inlets and forests. We've slotted into a peaceful existence of just the two of us. There's never the feeling of having to break the silence if that's how we feel. I feel so at home here with G. I wish I could find out his name for him, I know it bothers him so much. I know he's desperate to find his family, he's lost all of his memories of any of them. He cannot even remember if he had any brothers or sisters. His earliest memory is around seven at some foster home, but it was a happy memory at least. He needs so many more of them and I plan on making more happy memories with him and giving him the family he craves. I haven't had the nerve to tell him that I stopped taking the pill back in June. I keep hoping for some news soon that I am pregnant. I know he would be happy, I want to make it a surprise, just incase it takes a while for it to happen. I know he'll make the most amazing father. I want to give him lots of kids, a normal and happy family life, to replace the bad memories that he has of his own childhood._

_15th September 1999_

_We've got pressure from work to return to D.C. Neither of us are keen to go back. We've talked about resigning and finding something local to do. But I know we have responsibilities and although it would be a dream for us to vanish from the face of the earth, I know we can't. He knows it too. I think his search for his family is what keeps him working for the government and his need to protect the innocent. I threw up this morning. Hope that this means that I have his baby growing inside of me. I know I should take a pregnancy test, but being so far away from a drugstore, I don't want G to suspect anything until I know for sure. We don't go to the local town alone, so it would be a challenge. But I so want to give him the news before we return to D.C._

_17th September 1999_

_I am grinning from ear to ear. I am pregnant. I am so excited, it's so hard to keep it to myself. I want to make him a special dinner before we leave here to give him the news. I love you more than life itself, G. Callen._

Callen looked through the notebook and realised it was her last entry. Short, but the news was here. Proof that she had ever intention of telling him while they were there that she was indeed pregnant with Emily. He tried to think back to why she never got to tell him the way she planned. Memories came flooding back. _Her mother rang and demanded her return. They were in D.C. at her apartment wondering where she was._ He remembered. Elise had to fly back before he left the cabin at her mother's request. The tears that poured down her face when he drove her to the local airport now made sense. She knew but hadn't the chance to tell him. When he did return to D.C., he never saw her again.

His breathing became difficult, his chest hurt from the painful jab in his heart. A tingling sensation ran up his arm and fear that he was having a heart attack consumed him. "Ellie."

_Will the rest of the team arrive in time to save Callen? Finding Elise's journal has brought all the pain of losing her and not being together as a family with Emily, to the surface. Love to hear your thoughts, please leave a review._


	28. Chapter 28

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: What more can I do to Callen, you ask? Haven't I done enough to him? I know life appears to suck badly for him at the moment, but we need the hurt for the comfort to come, right? Answers will be revealed on exactly what happened to Callen and how he ended up so ill. Thanks for your continued support and the wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 28**

Elise made the return trek back along the trail to the cabin and gasped when she found Callen lying on the floor. "Matt." She checked his breathing and saw that it was shallow. Beside him she saw her old notebook and swore out loud that he had found it. "Oh Matt, I am so sorry." She kissed him gently on the temple and held him in her arms.

Callen thought for sure he had now died from a heart attack. He could hear Elise talking to him and crying. He heard footsteps but couldn't open his eyes. They felt heavy and he wasn't strong enough to open them.

"Callen?" _Nell. Nell is here._ Her voice pulled him out of the darkness as she fell to the floor beside Elise. "Matt? What happened?" She turned to Elise hoping for an answer.

Deeks and Kensi followed Nell in with worry on their faces. "I'll call for an ambulance." Kensi pulled out her burn phone and dialled 911.

"I don't know. I left him sleeping and went for a walk. I just found him lying like this." Tears fell down her cheeks as she continued holding Callen.

Nell bent over and kissed Callen on the lips. "Don't you dare die on me, Matthew Summers. I love you and I will never forgive you if you leave me now." Her voice cracked under the emotions. She looked at him with surprise when she felt his hand grab hers.

His eyes fluttered under the lids as he tried to open them. "Nell." His voice croaked, but he'd returned to the living. He opened his eyes and his cerulean orbs stared back at her.

"I'm here, Matt. And I am never leaving you." Tears poured down her face and fell onto his shirt as she held onto his hands firmly.

"Ambulance will be here soon." Kensi walked over, relieved to see Callen awake. She knelt down on her knees and studied him. "What happened, Callen?"

Callen swallowed hard, his mouth was dry. "Water." Deeks poured him a glass and handed it to him. "Thanks." He swallowed as much as his body would allow and handed the glass back to the detective. "What are you all doing here?"

"For you, you silly goose." Nell chided. "You keep forgetting how much we all love you."

He looked from Nell to Kensi and Deeks. "Deeks loves me too?" They all laughed at the comment, with tears in their eyes.

"Yeah, but don't tell the big guy or he'll get jealous."

"Who are you calling big?" They turned around and found Sam Hanna standing at the door looking at them. "What's going on?" The scene might have been amusing with them all hovered around his partner, if concern for Callen hadn't been on his mind.

"We found him unconscious on the floor." Kensi brought him up to speed. "Ambulance is on it's way."

Sam moved in and assessed his partner. "Can I have some space here?" Kensi and Deeks moved away and Elise gently moved out for Nell to replace her. Nell nodded with thanks as she sat holding Callen's upper body in her arms. She had worried over him for over a week, but she hadn't been prepared to see him unconscious on the floor when she walked in.

"Are you in pain, G?" Sam looked into his eyes and checked his heart rate before he moved back to give him some space.

"My heart." He croaked out. "The pain in my heart hurt too much." He took in a breath of air before he continued. "Tingling up my arm. Hard to breathe."

All around him came to the same conclusion, he had suffered a mild heart attack. His complexion still looked a bit grey but the fact that he appeared fine now, gave them the comfort that he would be okay. The sound of a vehicle pulling up outside caught their attention. Kensi and Deeks exited the cabin to direct the paramedics through and update their prognosis of a possible mild heart attack.

Sam stood back and watched the paramedics deal with his partner. Once again they had come too close at almost losing their team leader. They led Callen out on a stretcher into the ambulance, with Nell joining him in the back. She continued to hold his hand all through the journey to the hospital, half an hour away at Roanoke.

Back at the cabin, Sam looked at Elise who remained in shock, clutching the notebook in her hand. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her arm, hoping to gain her attention. "Elise?"

"It's all my fault." She remained focused on some distance spot, that Sam couldn't work out. "He," she looked down at her hands holding the notebook, "found this."

"What is it?"

Elise looked up at Sam with sadness in her eyes. "My journal. Something I forgot I left here," her voice cracked, as her body trembled, "private thoughts I had written sixteen years ago." She held it tight to her chest, unwilling to allow anyone else read it. "Matt found it, he must have read it before he collapsed." She turned and walked out onto the deck, hoping the scenery and fresh air would soothe her.

Sam followed, knowing that she felt guilt for something she wasn't responsible for. "What happened to G is not your fault, Elise. He's been through a great deal of emotional and physical strain of late. You can't blame what you wrote in there that long ago to be the cause of this?"

"You don't know what's in there." Her statement concerned Sam, who suddenly needed to know what was in there. Before, he was content to keep it private, but now it worried him.

"Is it that bad?" He raised his brow as he studied her.

Elise shook her head. "Not in that way. Bad in the fact that it reveals that I found out I was pregnant when we were both here and I never told him." Her admission surprised Sam, who up to this point thought she had found out that she was pregnant after they were back at the Bureau. "I've broken his heart, Sam. And I can never take back what I've done to him."

"You two need to talk about this. This has nothing to do with anyone but the two of you. Why don't we head over to the hospital and see how he is?" Elise nodded. "I'll drive." Sam knew that Elise wasn't in the right head space to drive, although he'd been driving for days himself.

**_Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital…_**

The team sat out in the waiting area for a few hours, pacing the floor, shuffling their bodies in a variety of positions, but Sam sat still in the one spot. He was used to this with this partner, waiting and praying for another miracle. He chided to himself over this latest health scare. _Why did he continue to ignore my pleas to take better care of himself? I've told him over and over again to eat better. Stop eating those pigs and waffles he loves so much and all that bacon he brings into the office. But no, he mocks me and tells me to stop being his mother._ Sam was determined after this latest incident that he was going to ensure G listened to him. Eat salads and slow food.

Finally the doctor exited the folding doors and came over to Nell. She had remained quiet and unfocused for the time she had sat there, unaware of the company of the team and Elise. Each of them appeared to be in their own thoughts over Callen and reflected on their own relationship with the man.

"Are you Mr Summers' next of kin?" Nell looked up at the doctor and suddenly realised he was there. She shook her head, although she wanted to be the one. "I need to speak with his next of kin before I can talk to anyone else. Are you his girlfriend?"

Nell was unsure what to answer as the truth was, they had yet to out on a first date. Elise came to her rescue. "Nell is in shock over Matthew's condition. We are all family, here. Matthew's father is still in Los Angeles. Please tell us, how is he?" She had managed to pull herself out of her own thoughts and fears with a strength of her old self.

When the doctor hesitated, Sam walked over and showed him his identification. "Look doc, he's my partner, he's been through a lot recently and we came to take him home when we found him unconscious. How is he?"

Doctor Bassett nodded and capitulated after seeing the looks of concern for his patient in Sam's eyes and those with him. "He's resting at the moment. We've done tests and they do support your prognosis of a mild heart attack."

A knot tightened in all of their stomach, the news didn't sound good at all.

"There has been some damage to his heart, but his arteries are all clear." Dr Bassett explained.

"I don't understand?" Sam was expecting bad news that his partner's health that had caused it, although he was well aware of the stress Callen had been through recently, particularly what had happened to him a week earlier. Sam was never good at being kept in the dark and was determined to get to the bottom of it all. Even if he had to drag the information from his partner by force. But knowing how ill Callen was, he knew he couldn't ever do that to him. From the sounds of it, Callen had been pulled through the worst of the worst by the Serbian woman. Why else did he jump ship?

"Your partner has suffered a virus that attacked his heart, Agent Hanna." I need to know about his movements over the past few weeks to rule out chemicals or drugs as a cause. All of the other tests we've done have come up clear. I tried to ask Mr Summers, but he began to panic."

"We don't know." Sam told him sadly. "We couldn't tell you even if we did know. I need to pass this by my boss." He pulled his cell out and made the call.

"Mr Hanna, have you found him yet?" Sam knew she meant the rest of the team as well, but her worries for their team leader was evident in her slip of the tongue.

"Hetty, he's in hospital. When we arrived, he was unconscious on the floor. Elise found him just before Nell, Deeks and Kensi arrived. When I arrived soon after, he was conscious again." He braced for the next detail. "He's suffered a mild heart attack from Myocarditis, Hetty."

Hetty gripped the edge of the desk and sat down. Her head went light and fuzzy from the news. "How is he?" She tried to remain stoic but it was too much for the older woman.

"We're just getting an update from the doctor now. He needs to know about G's movements to eliminate chemicals or drugs as a cause. He said a virus attacked his heart and the most common causes have been eliminated from their tests. He needs to know about G's kidnapping by the Serbian, Hetty. But even we don't know what happened down there, without G's help, the doctor's working in the dark." Sam waited in hope that perhaps Hetty knew more than she'd let on and she would have no choice but to divulge to him.

"Agent Gibbs has been firm in stating that he promised Matthew to never reveal the details on what happened to him. However, he did take a blood sample from him on board his boat and it was sent to Miss Scuito for analysis. I will give her a call. Which hospital is he in, Mr Hanna? John and I will be there as soon as possible." She had no idea of where any of them had gone, since they had gone dark in the first place. She trusted Sam to find them and never asked Eric to search out Elise's GPS on her mobile, like her intelligence analyst had done.

"Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, South West Virginia." Sam knew it would be simpler if he could call Abby himself, but with Gibbs standing firm like he was on what state he found G in, he knew he needed Hetty to speak with the Goth Forensic Scientist for the intel. "Thanks, Hetty."

Nell and Sam walked in together to see Callen laying asleep on the bed. For someone who hated hospitals, he knew how to end up there too often. Both sets of eyes peered to the heart monitor attached to him and the fluid that flowed into his body via a shunt in the back of his hand. He looked peaceful without a care in the world, lying there like that. But they both knew it was a facade. Deep inside Callen had a million wounds taring apart his heart and other vital organs, from the pain that had been inflicted on him either mentally or physically. They sat on either side, neither daring to speak, afraid of waking him. And after all he'd been through, whether they knew what it was or not, they knew it had broken him. Rest was the best thing for Callen, therefore they left him in peace as they sat their watching his every breath.

The damage to Callen's heart had been minor, but until John and Hetty arrived, all the finite details of his condition had to wait. Sam looked to see a text had arrived from Abby, which surprised him. "Callen's blood sample showed presence of Ritalin in his system. Hope this helps Callen get well again soon. Abby." Sam shook his head with sadness in his eyes. He stood up and left the room, in search for Dr Bassett. He knew in his gut that this drug had not only caused him grief whilst in the hands of Namena, but also his lack of trust that Gibbs or their team could help him and then to his heart attack.

_If you feel any of the symptoms that G. Callen has displayed, please call your medical practitioner or emergency phone number immediately. Poor Callen, how much more can he bear? He needs to heal now and he will need each of his team and Elise to have an integral part in healing him. If only he would let them in. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	29. Chapter 29

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: It really is comfort time for Callen, to be rebuilt and loved. If you are curious to know where that last piece of drama for Callen came from, my neighbour who had a virus attack his heart and resulted in a mild heart attack. This is very real and symptoms written in the previous chapters should not be taken lightly. Thanks for your continued support. _

**Chapter 29**

When Callen awoke, he found Nell and Sam asleep by his bed. He wasn't surprised by Sam's presence, it was common for his loyal partner, whom he'd joked about being his dog, to be there whenever he woke up in hospital. But Nell's presence surprised him. It was his fault that she had been rammed into and kidnapped. Flashes of that day returned to the forefront of his mind over the voice that feared him. Marcel Janvier haunted his dreams ever since he started playing sans voir, blindfolded chess with peoples lives. They'd lost Mike Renko and Lauren Hunter and almost the rest of his team. At the last minute he'd seen through the Frenchman's move and saved them. But no matter how hard he tried to get one step ahead of him, he continued to fail, until he shot him again and refused to finish him. He fisted his hands up tight, annoyed with his conscience, in not ending the bastard himself. Instead he took the righteous path and gloried in his incarceration in some South Carolina high security prison. However even that didn't appease him. Why did that man always have a way to come back to bite him? He had threatened to escape but he was too pigheaded to think that he actually could. Janvier proved him wrong and took Nell captive. He couldn't bear for anything else to happen to her. She was in danger just by being around him.

Nell woke up from the feeling of Callen's hands fisting together. "Matt?"

Sam also woke up at hearing Nell's voice, both looking at their friend and colleague.

"You need to leave." Callen urged her. He turned to Sam for help. "Sam, tell her to go. It's not safe for her to be near me."

"I think you should put more faith in Nell, G." Callen looked at him confused. "She can take good care of herself you know." Sam smirked over to Nell. He was impressed with her one handed marksmanship. "One handedly shot Janvier in the head. He's gone, G. You're safe from him. We all are, thanks to Nell."

Callen raised his brow in shock. He looked to Nell who gave him a wry grin. "One hand?" Nell nodded.

"Looks like you are more than a cute girl with a gun." A smirk graced Callen's lips impressed with her. Nell blushed, but pleased she had made Callen smile. Suddenly his visage darkened. He turned to his partner. "Can you leave us for a moment, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah sure." He exited the room, understanding Callen's need to talk with Nell alone.

He laid there unsure how to start. "Nell." He looked into her hazel eyes, he worried that if he didn't do this right, he would break her heart. But somehow he knew no matter how he did this, he would anyway. It was a hard thing to do. "I appreciate all that you've done for me and Emily. For killing Janvier and for trekking across the country to find me." He tried to sit up more and looked for the remote for the bed. Nell passed it over to him, a knot of worry formed in her stomach, her heart rate increased, knowing where he was taking this. "I don't ever want to hurt you," _damn, this is harder than I thought._

"You never could, Matt. You have a heart of gold." Nell tried to make him realise what he was worth.

"What I've been through, I don't think I,"

A knock on the door interrupted them. Elise stood at the door witnessing Callen about to ruin everything he had with Nell. "Nell, can I talk to Matt for a few moments please?"

Nell was torn in-between the need to hear what Callen was about to say and running as far as she could from him. She loved him, hadn't she told him that already? How could he believe that he wasn't worth to be loved? She nodded and left the room.

"You shouldn't have interrupted me." Callen growled at her.

"What? To allow you to ruin things with Nell? Fat chance of that happening." She sat beside him on the edge of the bed. "You told me earlier that I was your best friend and I told you that I will always love you, but I cannot be the person to help you get through this." She held his hands in hers as a tear fell from her cheek. "You are not going to end anything with Nell before you even give this a chance. She deserves a chance with you. She loves you and no matter what you say to make her walk away from you, she will continue to love you."

"You mean like how you used to love me?" He looked into her eyes and could see that she was letting him go and to allow Nell to take over his heart. "Because from where I am sitting, you still love me. So why are you doing this? I read your journal, Ellie. I know you intended on telling me about Emily. But what I can't understand is why you never said anything to me on drive out to the airport? Why did you have to go? You left me, knowing that you were carrying our baby. Why didn't you give us a chance?" Tears fell down his cheek as he tried to get out of her why she gave up on them.

"I don't know why, Matt. I kept going over my head why I allowed my mother to dictate what I did in my life even as an adult. I wish I could give you the answer that you deserve."

"You said that you loved me more than anyone else. Why did you leave that day?" His voice increased in volume as anger bubbled under the surface.

Tears fell as Elise cracked. She had tried so hard to protect him from the truth, even if it meant that he hated her for it. But now she found that it was no longer enough. It was time to come clean. "She found out about us. She found your juvenile record and threatened to expose you and get you fired from the Bureau." Elise whispered so softly, he barely heard her. But when her admission, the truth to why she left without telling him about being pregnant came out, he realised that she had left to protect him.

He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her as they both cried. Cried for the family they never became and the years lost with each other and with Emily. They could never get that back and he knew that her letting him go was from her deep love that she still held for him. "No one will ever love me as much as you, El. I'm sorry that I never knew what happened to you, that I never went looking for you. I thought you had left me." He choked on a sob. After sixteen years of heartache, he realised just how much she did it out of her love for him.

"Take that knowledge with you, Matt. Know that you are worth loving. Let Nell into your heart and be loved the way you deserve." She brushed her lips on his for a moment longer than she had intended, but he held her there, not wanting their last kiss to end. They were saying goodbye as lovers, but they would always be tied together thanks to Emily, and they would always remain best friends. They knew each other's deepest secrets as they had let the other in. Yet, it was time for him to let her go and to allow Nell into his heart. She pulled away and brushed his tears away. "I will always love you, Matthew Summers."

"I will always love you too, Ellie." He released her and allowed her to leave, knowing he would see her once he returned to Los Angeles. He was pleased that she had come and waited for him at the cabin. It gave them the time that they needed for closure.

Nell, Sam, Deeks and Kensi all gave Elise worried looks when she exited the room crying. She never turned to look at them, she just walked away, too emotional in her state to speak with them.

Sam decided it was best if he went in, knowing that from the look of the state Elise was in when she left, his partner wouldn't be much better. He entered the room and stood looking out the window long enough to see Elise take a taxi back to the cabin. He turned and faced his partner, his eyes were red from crying.

Callen turned away from Sam, erecting a barrier between them. He wasn't in the mood for talking, especially about Elise or what happened with Namena. Sam on the other hand was not going to let it slide. "You want to talk about it?" Callen remained silent. "I want to help you, G. But how can I when I have no idea what you've been through?" Sam shook his head when he saw his partner close up. "I'm here to help you heal. You know I will always be here for you. Brothers for life, remember?"

Sam wasn't sure what it was that triggered something inside of Callen, but whatever it was, worked. Callen turned and looked over at him, his cerulean eyes blinked as he swallowed hard. He licked his lips and placed his hand out for the cup on the table. Sam helped him with the cup, ensuring he didn't spill it all over himself. He worried over him at the best of times, but to see him like this and with the heart attack, viral or not, it was tough for the big guy to sit there and feel helpless.

"I don't know where to start, Sam. Everything has become too much to process. Elise showing up in my life again, finding out we had a daughter and that they knew who my dad was." Callen took another sip before he continued. This was hard, but he thought it was better to spill his secrets to his brother than to Nate, whom he was sure would want to speak to him after this latest situation. "And Hetty, she knew about Amy, but never said a word, even when we found Hannah Lawson and where do I begin with Granger? He knew who I was, my name, my parents and about my sister. I was just starting to allow Nell in when Janvier and that Serbian witch had to come and ruin everything." He fisted his hands up tight, Sam watched the heart monitor increase and heard footsteps come closer as a nurse came into the room.

"Mr Summers, you're stressing yourself out too much." She scolded him, gently. She looked to Sam and was about to tell him to go, when she saw the concern for her patient in his eyes. "Please ensure he doesn't stress himself any further. We don't want him to have another attack." The nurse left, satisfied she'd done her part in ensuring he stayed him calm.

Callen released his hands and tried to rein in his emotions, taking in deep breaths to slow his heart down again. It was easier said than done. He'd been through the roughest of roller coaster rides and then thrown off without warning into hell. He'd almost given up hope of coming out of it alive or sane. The state of his health proved that he was on the edge of the darkness. Part of him wanted it to consume him, to escape the pain, but he couldn't, not with Emily in his life. His daughter depended on him to pull through this. There was his sister as well, after all of these years thinking he was dead and him the same with her - he needed to get back to what he was, to make up for the lost years. He was still unsure how he was the future with his father would go, his trust with him was low, which he knew he needed to resolve.

Then their was his loyal partner, his brother, who he knew would refuse to let him give up. His presence beside his bed proved that. And now Nell threatened him if he gave up. She had come to him, still recovering from her own injuries from the crash, for him. It was something he struggled to fathom. Elise and Sam coming, he could understand. Now Nell and she hadn't come alone. He'd joked about Deeks loving him, but he saw the concern in both his and Kensi's eyes. Once again his team proved their loyalty and found him when he needed them the most.

"Why are they here?" Callen finally asked his partner. "Why did they come?"

"You know why, G. We're a team and don't you ever forget that. We're stronger together. Didn't you learn anything from the Kill House? We've all travelled through fire for each other and come out the other side stronger. I know life's been a mess for you lately, but you've appeared happier, G. Your a dad, you've found your father and sister, and don't forget the team. We are your family and we will travel the world to bring you home and help you through whatever life throws at you. Haven't we proved that to you already, when we followed you to Romania?"

"That was for Hetty." He replied, throwing it from himself.

"That was all for you, G. Your family's blood feud, remember? Hetty went in to protect you. You went to rescue Hetty, we came with you to help rescue her. Every time a Comescu came after you, we all helped save your skinny ass. Now why is this time different? Why did you run off like that, as if we don't matter?"

Callen shook his head. "Don't go there, Sam. I can't go there."

Sam sat on the edge of the bed and made him look at him. "Look at me, G. Look at me."

Callen capitulated and turned his eyes to meet his gaze.

"You mean the world to all of us. If we lose you, we are all lost. You think that you're the only one whose been tortured or suffered at the hand of a psycho? Get in line, G."

"Not fair, Sam. You have no idea what she did to me." Flashes of what Namena did to him on the plane displayed in the forefront of his mind.

"Let me in, G. Let us all in, so we can help you." Sam pleaded.

"How?"

"Talk to me. Tell me what happened." Tears escaped his cerulean eyes as Sam firmly gripped his arms. He knew Sam wouldn't let up. But he couldn't go there. He wasn't sure if he ever could.

"I can't." He tried to reason. "It hurts too much."

"Trust me, G. You need to talk about it. It's the only way to heal."

"Heal from this? What are you not getting, Sam? She broke me. Somehow she'd obtained classified information about the abuse I suffered as a kid in the system. She used that to tear down every broken piece I spent years rebuilding." He chewed on the inside of his cheek as his tried to hold onto the last piece of strength he had inside of him. "She seduced me, Sam. There was nothing I could do to prevent what she did to me." He choked on a sob, as Sam wrapped his arms around him and held him.

"She drugged you, G."

Callen pulled back. "She what?" He tried to think back to the time of the plane then on the yacht. He couldn't remember being drugged. All he'd had was water to drink. He knew he needed it to survive, but he had refused everything else.

"Abby found Ritalin in your blood stream. Do you remember Gibbs taking a blood sample on his boat?" Sam studied his partner as he tried to piece everything together.

"So she never seduced me? I was drugged?" He knew the effects Ritalin had on people. It played funny tricks on your mind, thinking things are real when they aren't, making you think that you've gone crazy and also increases your heart rate. He knew now that he'd reacted to the drug and that had caused his latest health issue. His heart attack had been a result from the trauma of the torture, abuse, ritalin and stress. Had it all been some mind game to Namena? "No. She definitely did things to me, Sam. On the yacht, when Gibbs found me," he couldn't continue. The memories haunted him each time he closed his eyes.

"What did she do to you, G?" Sam looked at him with grave concern. Whatever this woman did to him, tore at him.

"I'm no good, Sam. Tell Nell I'm sorry. I can never be what she thinks I am."

"G." Sam softly spoke his name. "What did Namena do to you?"

"She…she used me as a," he shook his head. He couldn't tell Sam what she had done to him. His heart rate increased and an alarm beeped from the heart monitor.

"G, you need to calm down." Sam urged.

Nurses and a doctor came running in from the alarm. "What's happened?" Dr Bassett inquired, looking to Sam, who was sitting over Callen, trying to help him relax.

Sam shook his head and stood back to allow the medical staff attend to his partner.

"Mr Summers, you shouldn't be stressing yourself so soon after your heart attack. The risk of another is too high until your heart heals from the virus and that will take some time." Dr Bassett turned to Sam. "I'm sorry, Agent Hanna, but I am going to have to place a ban on visitors until Mr Summers is better."

Sam nodded, he understood why he needed to leave, although he worried that his partner would destroy himself on his own anyway. It finally occurred to him exactly what had happened to his partner. It was the one thing he'd refused to think earlier, but there was no doubt that Namena had destroyed the last goodness in G. Callen by seducing his body to be her slave. She never had his mind, although he was drugged, he was strong willed to refuse coercion at the best of times. But she had used his body. And now he understood why he felt dirty and unworthy to be loved by anyone, particularly Nell. He only prayed that Callen would think over all that they'd told him and realise it wasn't him who was unworthy, but the Serbian witch. He was thankful that Gibbs had killed her and that she could never come and hurt his partner ever again.

_Poor Callen, will he ever get over this latest trauma? Elise proved to him that he was worth loving, but after what Namena did to him, is it enough? And if Sam can't get through to him, who will? Looks like he needs to recover from this virus before the doctor will allow anyone near him. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	30. Chapter 30

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: I never envisioned to get to 30 chapters in this story when I started out and I am still going. I hope you are enjoying the journey. Thank you for your continued support and for those who have left reviews, all of which have been much appreciated._

**Chapter 30**

**_Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital…_**

Sam walked out to the waiting room with his head hung low. He continued to worry about his partner, but being thrown out was the hardest. After all his partner had endured over the years, not once had he been told to leave. He looked up and saw the expectant faces of Nell, Kensi and Deeks, in hope that one of them could now go in and sit with him. They all had a purpose for being there and were determined to help Callen get through this. Sam shook his head as he sat down on the chair beside Nell and buried his head in his hands.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Nerves over Sam's behaviour got the better of Nell and her hands shook with fear. She tried to hide it, but the not knowing was killing her.

"Got thrown out." Sam looked up at his colleagues. "G keeps stressing his heart out. The doctor said no visitors until he's better."

"But he needs us to get over this." Nell's voice rose higher in pitch, the strain of the past week taking its toll on her.

Sam saw her agitation and worry, and understood where she came from. "I know. But he can't talk about what happened to him. He's got too much to deal with. He's not well enough to go there yet." He stretched his arm over Nell's petite frame and drew her in under his wing.

Deeks held Kensi's hand tight. His own emotions from the torture he'd suffered recently, had in turn brought back his own memories of abuse growing up with an alcoholic father, to the forefront of his mind and placed him on edge. He needed to help Callen through this, he couldn't sit back and wait until he was told it was okay to sit with his friend and colleague. Kensi wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, kissing his temple every so often to reassure him that she was there to support him. "Nell's right, he needs us."

"I agree with both of you, Deeks." Sam tried to make him see that fact. "But he's not well enough." He looked at his watch and realised it was dinner time. "Let's go and find somewhere to eat." None of them really felt like eating, but it gave them something to do. "Perhaps by then Hetty might be here and then we might be able to see him again." He knew it was a hollow thought, but in the past, Hetty always managed to make people capitulate to her way. He wasn't sure that this Dr Bassett could be persuaded though. He had Callen's health as his priority, which he was thankful for, but he only wished the doctor understood the kind of team that they were. They were family and they all needed each other, especially in times such as these.

**_Two hours later…_**

Hetty, John, Amy and Emily entered the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in search for G. Callen, aka, Matthew Summers. They waited for someone to tell them his location. They were surprised not to find Sam, Nell, Kensi and Deeks waiting for them or sitting with Callen. This was unusual behaviour by Hetty's people, which annoyed her even more than having to wait her turn.

Finally, Dr Bassett walked out to the waiting room and led them into his office. He noted how Hetty appeared to be the one in control, although she was the smallest by far. Her petite size did nothing to assuage her confidence in her approach with the Doctor. _Obviously this woman is used to being in charge. But here, in my hospital, she will learn that what I say goes. _"Miss Lange, I understand your concern for your agent, however, he's not in the position to have visitors for a few days. I allowed his partner and his girlfriend in earlier, but his heart rate increased to dangerous levels and I had to ask his partner to leave. Therefore, I have placed a no visitors rule in place. Mr Summers' health and well being is my top priority. I do not care who you are, the rule stands until I deem it safe for him to have visitors again. However, I will stress to you, that it will be immediate family only." Dr Bassett looked at the other three visitors in his office and concluded that they were his patient's family. Father, sister and daughter. Their genetic makeup was too similar to conclude otherwise. He was surprised that they allowed the other woman, whom he guessed correctly, to be the boss of Matthew Summers, to take control and wondered how much power she held over her agents.

"With respect, Dr Bassett, I understand your position with ensuring that all of your patients are well cared for and by no means am I trying to undermine you as Mr Summers' physician. But this patient of yours is not any ordinary patient. He's been through a tremendous amount of stress throughout his life, particularly in the past six weeks, which has contributed to his latest ill health. If he doesn't have his family and partner around him, we are concerned that he will self destruct."

Dr Bassett furrowed his brow as he looked at the factors that his patient's partner had given him before he looked up over his desk to his visitors. "Agent Hanna has provided me with some of the factors that you are referring to, Miss Lange. However, your agent is not in the strongest of health and you will need to accept my terms. Until I deem him ready for visitors, the ban will remain in place." He stood to advise his visitors that he had finished with them. They all stood, including Hetty, although she procrastinated due to her frustrations from not having a doctor who knew her and her people, near by. In this part of the country she was not well known, but if they could transfer him to either Washington D.C. or Los Angeles, she was certain she could bring in one of her referring doctors to take care of Matthew.

As they stood in the waiting room to discuss their next move, Emily whispered something into Amy's ear. She left them and looked to be heading towards the ladies' restrooms. But she had a plan, to look like she knew where she was going, in her search for her father. He meant the world to her and she missed him greatly over the past week. She understood where the doctor was coming from, but Hetty was right. Her dad needed those who loved him around him, otherwise he would sink back into the darkness that had him run away a week earlier. It didn't take her long to realise that her father would be in a room with a closed door. Along the corridor, in a corner bedroom, she found a closed door. Since all the other rooms' doors had remained open, she concluded that he was in that room. She looked around and found that no medical staff were watching and slipped inside. She remained quiet as she watched her father sleep in the bed. He looked paler than she was used to seeing him and worried over just how bad this virus had affected him. She slipped out of her runners and climbed up onto the bed and laid down beside him. She was determined to remain by her father's side and help him heal. She loved him even before she had ever met him and wasn't going to waste anymore time away from him.

Sam was the first to step off the lift and found Hetty sitting in the waiting room with John and Amy. The three of them lifted their heads and were relieved to see them. "Where have you been?" Hetty stood and addressed her temporary team leader.

"We were thrown out, so we went out for dinner." Sam looked over at John and Amy. "Has John or Amy managed to persuade Dr Bassett to let them sit with him?"

Hetty sadly shook her head. "I tried, Mr Hanna, but he's one stubborn doctor. I am trying to arrange transfer of Mr Summers so I can appoint one of our doctors who know us to take over as his physician."

"That would be best, if you can arrange that. Having John and Amy here will help you achieve that, I am sure. You know Emily might have been the best bet for G, Hetty. Couldn't you get her to come?"

Hetty looked around, with furrowed brows. "She did come with us, Mr Hanna. She walked to the restrooms a while ago." She walked over to Amy and quietly spoke with her. "Amy, dear, where did Emily say she was going?"

"To the restrooms. Why?" Hannah Tate looked up at Hetty, knowing she was not telling her the truth. _Why does this woman have the ability to get to your conscience? _

"What is it that you're not telling me?" Hetty locked on her gaze with the younger woman and realised that she had the same ability to stonewall her as her brother.

"I promised I wouldn't say." Amy added.

John turned to his daughter. "Sweetheart, is she safe?" That was all that they were concerned about. After the kidnapping attempt on her recently, no one wanted to let her out of their sight.

"Em can take better care of herself than I can. She's gone to find Matthew." She eventually admitted to them. A smile appeared on Hetty's lips, pleased that Emily possessed the same lack of respect for rules as her father.

Hetty placed her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Good. He will need her." She looked up at her team. "I suggest we leave and get a good night sleep." She moved closer to her people. "Emily is with Matthew, so you can rest assure that he is not alone. We will leave her here with him and find somewhere to stay until we can move him to Los Angeles." They nodded in agreement, all hiding their smiles for Emily, who had manoeuvred secretly past the medical staff, to be with Callen. They all exited the ward and travelled down the lift to the car park. In three vehicles, they all agreed to go back to the cabin, where they had found Callen and Elise, earlier. It was big enough for all of them to stay in the one place, and they hoped that they might find something of his there to help him heal, once they could visit him again.

Callen stirred in his sleep and felt someone beside him. He was in and out of consciousness due to the fact that he felt more tired than he had since he'd been shot, six years earlier. It took him a moment to realise where he was and who was beside him. The constant beep of the heart monitor instantly reminded him what had happened to him and where he was. He wasn't sure why his body felt so tired, was it was due to the fact that he'd hardly slept in the past week or because of the heart attack? A smile appeared on his lips when he noted the small freckles on his fifteen year old daughter's face. She was fast asleep and had her left hand resting on his chest. She was ensuring that he was still breathing and his heart was fine. Her gentle approach in sneaking into his room softened him. He'd heard the doctor tell Sam to leave, who was only trying to help him. It pained him to see his partner at such a loss and to be sent out of there. It was true that he needed someone with him. After all the years of abandonment, being left alone wasn't the best method for his recovery, like the doctor thought. But he wasn't in a position to stand up to Dr Bassett, who was only doing what he thought was best for him.

Callen watched her breathe deeply beside him. He studied her facial features more closely while she slept. She was a beautiful girl, who had her mother's soft approach with him. They both brought the best out of him and understood him better than himself. He was curious to how much Elise had told Emily about him over the years, yet at only fifteen, she appeared wiser than her years. She never judged him or became impatient with him, throughout the six weeks that they had spent together. Her face would light up each moment she got to spend with him. If he was teaching her some tactical move to defend herself, she would watch and listen intently, absorbing everything he said as if he was someone amazing. It made his heart swell with pride that he and Elise could produce someone so amazing together. A tear escaped his eyes, thinking over Elise's words in her journal, on how much she wanted to give him the family he always wanted. Lots of kids to make up for the lack of family, growing up alone. How different his life would have been if he and Elise had stayed together and had many more children, like his sister. Four kids seemed a great deal, for a man who grew up alone. He'd watched Amy with her children, two who had grown up and were at college. He was happy for her, but it still hurt him that he'd missed out on that opportunity with Elise to have had the family life that they had talked about.

Emily opened her cerulean eyes, her father's matching eyes stared back at her. Her face lit up, realising he was awake. "You're awake." She whispered, so she didn't attract attention from any nurses who were out in the hallway.

"So are you. When did you get here?" He watched her look at her watch and saw the surprise on her face.

"Two hours ago. We were stonewalled by your doctor, who refused us to see you. I snuck in." A wry grin crossed her face. I've been in here for about half an hour. I didn't realise I was so tired. It's not bedtime in L.A. yet." But she should have known, since she had hardly slept since her father had been taken by Namena. Callen saw her concern for him and concluded that she'd not slept much since they had last seen each other, with worry.

"You can sleep all you want now, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere." He gently kissed her forehead.

"Neither am I, Dad." She held him closer to her and drifted off to sleep. A hint of a smile remained on her lips, knowing that her father was okay. She hadn't been sure when she arrived, especially with the doctor being so firm in his stance not to allow him visitors. But he needed her just as much as she needed him. Callen closed his eyes as sleep overcame him, both relaxed into a steady rhythm with their breathing, dreaming of happier times that they had spent together.

_Emily was the right person to sneak into Callen's room and sleep beside him. She made him feel whole, with no bad history or judgement. Let's hope Dr Bassett will allow her to remain. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review. _


	31. Chapter 31

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your continued support and the wonderful reviews. Sam is in for a surprise with regards to Nell. What secret has she kept from the team, that will actually help her be there for Callen through his recovery?_

_What information does Hetty acquire that will change her view on the events that took place just over a week earlier?_

**Chapter 31**

**_Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital…_**

When the nurse entered the room to check up on Matthew Summers she was surprised to see that he had a guest, fast asleep and snuggled up to him. She noticed the family resemblance immediately and concluded that she was his daughter. If the girl opened her eyes, she was sure she would see the same sky blue eyes that her father possessed. She'd heard that his family had arrived from Los Angeles and that Dr Bassett strongly refused them entry to see him. She personally thought that the doctor was being too pig headed in this case. Although he was the best in the the south west of Virginia at looking after heart patients, but he could learn some good bedside manner. She looked at the chart on the heart monitor and a smile appeared on her lips. Since her last check on him, his heart rate had dropped considerably and settled even more recently to a healthy beat. She attributed this to Matthew Summers knowing that his daughter was with him. By the way that they were snuggled close together, she concluded that they had a close relationship. She left them be and exited the room to see to the other patients on the ward.

She had another hour before change of shift and decided to not say a word to the doctor. She visited all the other patients on the ward and had returned to the nurses' station and continued on with her duties. Her face fell when she saw Dr Bassett walk up to her. She thought he had left for the night and had a reprieve from his demands over Matthew Summers.

"How is Matthew Summers, Andrea?" Andrea brought the patient's records up on the screen. It was fifteen minutes ago when she last checked in on him and updated the records on the computer file.

"His heart rate has dropped to a good level and he is sleeping." She tried to keep the details simple, in hope it would appease Dr Bassett and with that, he would leave for the night. His replacement, Dr Catchlove was a much nicer doctor, whom she could deal with any day. Dr Bassett never appeared to smile, which Andrea thought was a shame. He could be far more appealing to the eye if he lost that stern look about him. He nodded, pleased his ruling had been the better decision with regards to this patient.

"Looks like his boss is going to have to eat her words. I'm heading home. Any changes, ask Dr Catchlove to call me immediately." Andrea gave him a warm smile, although it was a task to display it, she was happy that he was indeed leaving. It would allow Mr Summers and his daughter a whole twelve hours peace from his interference. She needed to talk with her replacement, to ensure that they were left in peace by them, too.

When Andrea's replacement came on shift, her eyes widened at the information she was told. She nodded and agreed to continue Andrea's endeavour to allow the daughter to remain with her father. Dr Catchlove was also updated and he too agreed with the nurse on her conclusion that the daughter had indeed lowered the patient's heart rate. Callen and Emily were left alone for the next twelve hours to sleep and be together in peace.

**_Silver Bay, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia…_**

Nell tossed and turned all night, worrying about Callen. She looked over to the other sofa and saw Sam do the same. She gave up on trying to sleep and decided to make a hot cocoa. She padded lightly on her feet over to the kitchen and filled the kettle with water and switched it on. The sun was beginning to peep over the horizon and as she stood there waiting for the kettle to boil, she watched the golden blaze of the sun hit the red and yellow leaves on the trees. The moment caught her breath and she instantly realised why Callen had bought the cabin in this location. It was nature in splendour, displaying is beauty to only those who had risen early enough to seek it out. With the knowledge that Callen didn't sleep much, she knew that he spent every early morning watching this natural occurrence. _This is why he came here and Elise knew it._ She had pondered many times since discovering that Elise knew where Callen had run off to, what significance this cabin had to Callen and also to Elise. They had all been tired the night before, after their travelling and the worry about Callen to take a better look around the cabin, so she decided after everyone was awake that she would explore the cabin more closely.

She sat outside on the deck overlooking the inlet of the lake, searching out for birdlife and other creatures. Her mind drifted to Callen and didn't notice the heavier steps of Sam Hanna as he joined her out on the deck.

"Wow, that is some sight." Sam sat in the other chair, sipping a cup of coffee. "Not once did G ever mention this place to me."

Nell shook her head. "Me neither."

"But I don't think he's been here in a long time. Too many memories." Sam added.

Nell looked at him. "You know something, don't you?" She gave him the gorgon stare, hoping for him to spill what he knew. "This is why Elise left in tears isn't it?"

Sam sighed. "It's better that you know, so you understand what G's been through. He will need you more than you realise, Nell. There's a lot of hurt that G's hidden from us, especially since Elise returned into his life."

A knot twisted tight in her stomach, as Sam told her about the journal that Callen had found from sixteen years earlier. "She blames herself for his heart attack. But I've told G that it was the drugs that Namena gave him that tipped him over the edge. And what she did to him."

"What happened?" Her voice was quiet, it took her every effort to talk, with the emotions that rippled through her. She could hear the pounding of her own heart, with fear that she could lose Callen forever.

"G can't talk about it, Nell. I've tried to get him to talk about it, but it's broken him. But this I can tell you. He told her about the information Namena had procured from his time in the foster care system, the abuse he'd suffered as a result and the feeling of abandonment. Which was why he was concerned over the doctor's ruling of no visitors. He saw it in Hetty's eyes too. She knew what it would do to him also. The importance for him to have a loved one around him at all times was crucial to his recovery. He told her about how Namena used it to break Callen back down to how worthless he felt as a child. But he wasn't sure on how to approach the other with Nell.

Nell finished her cocoa and stood up, leaning on the railing and overlooked the inlet. "I know what he went through, Sam. You don't need to protect me from the rest." She turned and faced him. "When Callen came to rescue me, he thought we were home free. But when we exited the building, his car had disappeared. Janvier appeared with his hired help and took us back inside, but instead of going to the fake hospital, we were tied up in the rear, where it was dark and dirty." Memories flashed across her vision as she tried to remain focused on telling Sam what had happened. This was her first time to admit all the details to anyone. Not even Nate had managed to draw the whole events from her. Her loss of memory had become a friend to her, people left her alone, thinking she couldn't remember. But she remembered. The events after Callen came to rescue her haunted her every night since. "When Namena entered the room, the colour drained from Callen's face when he saw her. I knew instantly that he had met her before and it hadn't been good.

"Yeah, he interrogated her to get intel on where the man who poisoned Emily's food was. He was in a strange mood and referred to her as a witch, and how he almost fed her to the sharks." Sam thought back to that day and realised that there had been more to it than his partner had revealed. _Damn you, G. Why do you hide these things from me?"_

Nell shivered, as her memories took over. "She came over to me, first, to taunt Callen." Nell's breathing became rapid, causing concern from Sam. He stood up and walked over to her.

"Nell, are you okay?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched from the contact. Separating Sam from Namena became difficult for her. Sam raised his hands and took a step back. Watching her made him realise just how evil this woman had been. He knew he had concluded correctly, especially now that Nell was showing the same anxiety just thinking about the woman.

"She ripped the buttons from my shirt. I tried to move away from her, but she wouldn't leave me alone." Tears fell down her face as she hugged herself for comfort.

Sam was at a loss on what to do. Here, Nell needed someone to comfort her, but she had already flinched from his touch. How did none of them not see this from her earlier?

"Perhaps I could take over from here, Mr Hanna?"

Sam turned and was relieved to see their Operations Manager standing in the doorway, with a tray holding a teapot and two cups. He nodded and walked inside, in search for food for breakfast. He hoped his partner had some form of edible food around. He was pleased when he looked inside the refrigerator and the pantry. _Good one, Elise._ He knew she had brought in fresh supply of groceries when she arrived.

Henrietta Lange sat down in the chair that Sam had recently vacated and poured the tea. "Chrysanthemum tea is good for the heart, Miss Jones." Her words were more applicable now, since Callen's heart attack. Nell accepted the cup and sat back down in the other chair.

Hetty was good for waiting patiently for her people to talk. She sipped slowly from the cup, savouring the flavour and goodness from the beverage.

"How much did you hear?" Nell finally asked.

"All of it, my dear. I didn't intend on eavesdropping your conversation with Mr Hanna, but I could see how distressed you were and thought that you might feel more comfortable speaking with a fellow woman."

"Thanks, Hetty. I appreciate it, it's just that I really need to speak with Callen. I know how he's feeling, what she did to him. It wasn't just me she did it to in the warehouse, she did it to him too. He tried to block her out by closing his eyes, but she was one manipulating…" Nell fisted her hand up, ready to punch the Serbian witch. "I'm so glad Agent Gibbs killed her. If he hadn't, then I would have."

"I think you've done enough killing of late, don't you think, Miss Jones? You managed to kill one handedly, the worst of the worst that had ever targeted Matthew. Janvier had been after him since he was only four years of age."

Nell's eyes widened. "What?" She was surprised by this new information.

"He was also responsible for burning Clara's true identity as a Callen to the Comescus." She added.

"Poor Callen." Nell took another sip from her cup, hoping for the miracle Hetty boasted about with this particular type of tea.

"We've all suffered from this man, Miss Jones. Matthew lost his mother, father and sister because of him. Thankfully John and Amy weren't lost forever, but he's missed too many years from having them in his life. Then there is the missed years of being in Emily's life. He really has had it the toughest of anyone that I know. But he is strong and a survivor, just like you are Miss Jones." Hetty looked out over the inlet and took in the serenity of the location.

"I don't know about that, Hetty. She haunts my dreams every night since Callen was taken by Namena. I saw the desperation in his eyes, pleading with Janiver to take his life instead of being her slave. He knew how toxic she was and how it would break him. I know he didn't want me to see that effect she had on him. There was something there that caused Namena to trade Callen's life with Janvier, for her need to own him. Something must have happened the day Callen interrogated her in the boat shed." Her speech sped up, as she relayed the detail to her mentor.

"What do you mean, when he interrogated her? Owen Granger spent the day trying to pry information from her and got nothing." This news was a surprise to Hetty, but also explained why Namena took him for her own. She shook her head when she realised the consequences of her team leader's actions that day in the boat shed. She sent a message to Eric Beale back in Ops, for video footage of his time in the boat shed with Namena and was ready to call Owen for an explanation, when she saw his number on her screen as it rang.

"You better have a good explanation, Owen, to why Matthew was allowed inside the interrogation room alone with Namena. Something happened that day, that made her choose him as his slave. All of this could have been prevented if he had been protected from her like I had asked. She was pure evil and she saw something in Matthew that inspired her on her last endeavour." She huffed down the phone.

Owen sighed. He thought he would never have to admit that occasion to the old spy. But he should have known better. No one could ever hide anything from her. "Matthew turned the video feed and microphone off while he was in there with her, Hetty. I was distracted on the phone with you at the time, so I didn't realise until he left what he had done. I'm sorry, I never thought she would escape and that he would be taken hostage." He'd beaten himself up about it since he and John had found Nell alone with no Callen in sight.

"You know what Matthew can be like by now, Owen. I will have to speak with Matthew when this Dr Bassett allows us near him." She shook her head in frustration. "Please ask Mr Beale to find any details on a Dr Bassett, at the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. We need some leverage against this stubborn doctor."

"Matthew's alone?" This news concerned the Assistant Director, who knew Callen's background almost as well as the duchess of deception, herself. He had rung her for an update on him.

"No. Emily snuck in. As far as we know, she's still with him. We left to help her in her cause." She prayed that it was still the case.

"Beale is on it right now." Owen watched Eric type madly into the hospital database and pulled the personal file of one Dr David Bassett, M.D.

"Thank you, Owen." Hetty disconnected the call and realised that Nell had left her alone. She sighed, knowing that she would need Nate to return so soon after just being there a week ago. How had the time flown so fast. It was a week since Gibbs and his team had rescued Callen. Yet they were still fighting a battle to see him, thanks to his physician. But she was determined to change that. She knew that she would need to wait a few more hours before she could make her calls to her doctors on the west coast for their assistance.

_Nell surprised both Sam and Hetty. But she is stronger than she looks. Poor Owen, being grilled by Hetty so early in the morning, over something he had no control over. The team is just starting to place the pieces to the puzzle on exactly what happened and why it happened. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	32. Chapter 32

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Let's see how the doctor reacts to Emily sneaking in to be with Callen. Thanks for your continued support and the wonderful reviews. Loved Deeks' support to Kensi in Praesidium, those words will help Callen in his recovery too. What a great heart Deeks has. So thoughtful and knows how to get Kensi to open up to him. Jokes aside, he told her he was serious. How far both of them have come since that night when Kensi told him he was good at not saying what he really meant._

**Chapter 32**

Andrea swiftly entered the ward before Dr Bassett returned. She was updated by the nurse and was pleased that they had managed to keep the father and daughter in peace. She heard the doctor's stern voice from afar and knew that he was keen to see his star patient. She slipped inside Matthew Summers' room and gently woke the girl. "Dr Bassett is on his way here, you've got to hide."

Emily and Callen both stirred at the news and wondered what the hurry was. "You can hide in the shower." She held Emily's runners in her hand and passed them over to her. Emily nodded and hasted her exit, moments before Dr Bassett entered.

"Good morning, Mr Summers. How are you feeling today?" Andrea kept herself busy taking his temperature and blood pressure as the doctor spoke with him. Dr Bassett checked Callen's heart rate on the heart monitor and was pleased to see it at fifty-five beats per minute.

"Fine. Can you discharge me now?" Dr Bassett gave a cynical laugh at Callen's request.

"You are far from being discharged, Mr Summers. You suffered a heart attack yesterday. While you are ill with this virus, you are at risk from it happening again." Dr Bassett shook his head in disbelief. He turned to the nurse and spoke sternly with her. "Take another blood sample, I want to see the results once they come through from pathology."

"No needles." Callen's heart rate increased as panic overcame him.

"Dr Bassett, please, you are distressing the patient." Andrea tried to calm Callen down, but as long as the doctor was there, it was a challenge.

"This proves that he is far from recovery, Andrea. Bloods now." She bowed her head and swiftly left the room to prepare Callen for another blood sample. She loved taking care of sick people, but hated with a vengeance the pigheadedness of this particular doctor. But the board on the hospital were thrilled with his reputation as being one of the best in the state, so they grabbed him and would not stand up to any negative comments made against him. She had tried to swap shifts, so she didn't have to deal with him or even another ward, but unfortunately for her, Dr Bassett liked her and wanted to keep her on his team. She was determined to ensure that she fought this battle with the doctor and prayed that his family managed to have him transferred soon.

Callen never liked hospitals, yet he never disliked his doctors as much as he did this one. Usually they were more sympathetic to the patients and he always had Sam by his side. Even as a kid in the system, Hetty often visited him in hospital, although he never admitted to her that he remembered those times or that he was even aware of what was going on around him. This was the first time in all the visits into hospital, where he had found himself up against a stubborn doctor. "I need to see my family." Callen pleaded. "Please." He thought that if he used his manners, this doctor just might capitulate and allow him his request.

"No visitors until you're better." He stressed. "You've been better alone than when your partner was in here yesterday. I will not change my orders."

Callen yanked the wiring from his chest and climbed off the bed. "I'm not staying." He pulled himself away from the doctor and headed for the door, but the doctor blocked his exit. "I'm fine. You can't keep my family from me."

Emily heard her father's distress and knew instantly that she had to do something. She exited the bathroom, to the doctor's surprise.

"What are you doing in there?" He recognised her from her visit with the other members of his patient's family.

"You've got this all wrong." Emily tried to move over to where her dad stood, trying to pass Dr Bassett out of the room. "He needs his family with him. It's the only way he can recover. You said yourself that his heart rate has improved since last night, am I right?"

Dr Bassett knitted his brow together, annoyed with both his patient and the girl.

"Well I've been with him since his heart rate calmed down. You have me to thank for it, not your stubbornness in not allowing family to visit him. You have no legal rights to keep us from him. Either we stay with him, or we will take him home with us." She stood in front of Dr Bassett, unwavering. When Andrea entered the room, her eyes widened at the daughter standing up to the doctor. She was supposed to wait until the doctor had left, that was her plan.

"You need to leave now, young lady." Dr Bassett was furious with the lack of respect for his orders with regards to this patient.

"Then I am leaving too." Callen advised him. Andrea had to hide her smile at the duo. Daughter and father, both as stubborn, but determined to protect the other.

"Like hell you are." Dr Bassett responded.

At that moment, John and Amy entered the room. "Is there a problem here?" John inquired.

"He won't allow us to be with Dad, nor will he allow him to leave." Emily filled her papa and aunt in with the situation. "This angst is just making my Dad's condition worse. You call yourself a doctor, but you are only reacting to the demands from his boss. You should be ashamed of yourself. It's your duty to do what is best in the patient's interest. But you are treating him like a child. Well if you cannot take proper care of him, then we will find a doctor who will." Her cerulean eyes became a steely blue with determination. Her jaw clenched and she had that same look of defiance in her that made John chuckle. When she looked over at her papa, her eyes widened at his behaviour.

"Em, sweetheart, you are so much like your father, it's so good to see that spirit in you." John and Amy moved forward and stepped in between them and the doctor. "Dr Bassett, we understand your need to ensure your patients are well taken care of, but this whole refusal of allowing family to sit with Matthew is ridiculous." He passed a bag of clothes over to his son, who took them to the bathroom. "We are taking him home to Los Angeles and have employed a physician to ensure he recovers in a more suitable environment."

Dr Bassett looked sternly at John and noted his English accent. "You cannot take him. He is under my care."

"Not anymore." Amy handed him the letter of transfer. "An ambulance will be here in ten minutes to transfer my brother to a private jet, where he will be accompanied by a nurse on the journey home."

"Who are you people?" Dr Bassett had never come across such people in all the years that he'd been practising.

"I am John Summers, Matthew's father. We are taking my son home." John smiled over at Emily who grinned back.

"How could you get this authorised, I am the best in the state." David Bassett issued out his own praises.

"If you were, then why are you in a country town?" Amy asked him.

Dr Bassett looked intently at the woman who was well dressed and neatly presented. She spoke in a calm manner, unlike the girl, and was also clear in her requests with regards to her brother. His thoughts about them from the day before dissipated, when he realised that he had it easy with the petite woman, Miss Lange. The family members were more persistent in their demands and now had authority to remove him from his care. A first in his career. "I like the area." He struggled to formulate a more valid reason. The truth was, he wanted to work in a smaller hospital where he could rule the roost. The reality of that ever happening in a city hospital was lost to him, after his last attempt in D.C. had failed. He craved power, but that wasn't something he wanted to admit to anyone, particularly to this family.

"You are to allow us to take my brother home, or we will ensure that you never practise in this country again." Amy remained in her position in front of the doctor, until she knew her brother was ready to leave.

"I will report you to the authorities for doing this." Dr Bassett threatened.

"Try it. In fact, why don't you go straight to the President." Amy continued. "He is a good friend of ours and he will personally ruin your career in the process."

"You're bluffing." Dr Bassett watched Matthew Summers wrap his arm around his daughter and head for the door. "No. I haven't given you permission to leave."

"I have kindly warned you, Dr Bassett." Amy countered his defence. "Don't let this get ugly. You have no idea who you are messing with here. No one goes against our family and wins."

Callen hid a smirk that was tempting to display in front of the pig headed doctor, as he exited the room with his family. The act of support that his father, sister and daughter displayed for him, overwhelmed him. His heart swelled with pride and knew that he was home. Not physically, but emotionally home. He knew he had a long hard road ahead of him, but any doubts about where he stood in relation to his immediate family dissipated, because they stood up for him when he needed it the most. "Good play, sis. I see having a sister married to a Senator has it's advantages."

"Got to get our moneys worth out of Daniel while we can, Matt." She smiled and winked over to him, thankful to be walking out the door of that particular hospital. Callen didn't have to worry about any paperwork, it had already been arranged, thanks to Daniel and Hetty's hard work. They exited the building and were met with the paramedics hired to transport him to the airport. Emily climbed inside the rear with her father while her papa and aunt drove to the airport. When they pulled up, they were greeted by Nell and Hetty. Deeks, Kensi and Sam had to drive their cars back west and planned on meeting up with him once they returned.

"I could get used to this." Callen sat down in the chair and allowed the attending nurse to take his vitals and ensure he was ready for the seven hour flight. If needs be, they could land at any airport along the way, if there were any signs that Callen needed to be rushed to another hospital.

"It's good to see you again, Matthew." Hetty sat down in the chair across the isle from him. "We've all been worried about you."

"Thanks, Hetty." He couldn't go there with her, no matter what she had helped him through growing up. He needed the time and space to clear his head, surrounded by family and friends. Not to delve deep into what he'd been through, he couldn't go there with anyone, not now and wasn't sure if he could even in the future. Nell remained quiet on the flight. Callen looked over to her every now and then to see how she was doing. He knew he needed to speak with her, but worried how his heart would cope with it at the moment. He decided to leave it for now, to listen to the doctor that his family had arranged and then when he felt well enough, he would finish that chat with her. He drifted off to sleep and rested his head on Emily's shoulder. She was his guardian angel through all of this, he realised and scolded himself for running away from her. But he had been in a really bad state and the only place and person at the time he felt could help him, was her mother. He made a promise then to himself, that no matter what he faced in the future, he would never run from his daughter again.

**_Doheny Road property, Beverley Hills, five days later…_**

The tropical planting at this particular property of Hetty's always found a way to soothe G. Callen. He'd sat out in the garden five days in a row, reading, playing chess against Emily and John or sleeping in the hammock under the gazebo. He'd chatted with Amy and got to know her a bit more. He saw a different side to her back at the hospital and noticed the strength of their mother in her. Memories of their mother came flooding back to him, but although he still missed her, he was now at peace that he had his father and Amy back in his life.

The gentle autumn breeze lulled him off to sleep like a baby, as he swayed in the hammock. The floating feeling of just being there in the present, aware of the surroundings slowly healed him from all the emotional drama by which he'd been overwhelmed. Dr Patrick Martin was pleased with his recovery since he'd returned to Los Angeles. He couldn't believe the problems that they had experienced in Virginia and told them that he was putting in a complaint about Dr Bassett, which had made them all smile. Dr Martin had given him the all clear to see his team and he wondered who would be first to visit him. He knew that they were all eager to have their one on one time with him. Sam or Hetty, was his bet, so when he heard, "rock a bye baby, on a tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will fall," he was surprised to see Deeks with his golden Viking mane leaning on the edge of the gazebo.

"You didn't just sing what I think you just sung?" Callen opened his eyes and saw the cheeky grin on their shaggy detective.

"Watching you rock there gently was too hard to resist." He chuckled, pleased to see Callen look much better than the previous time he'd seen him.

"You wish me to fall?" He looked up and watched Deeks walk over and offer his hand.

He pulled him out of the hammock and shook his head. "No, bro. To pick you up before you hit the ground." His visage became more serious, still holding onto the team leader with a firm grip.

"You know I always hit the ground running." Callen replied, justifying himself for his decision two weeks earlier to run away.

"Yeah, in the wrong direction. I'm here to be your compass, to ensure you know where your north is." Deeks told him.

"You getting all philosophical on me, Deeks?" Callen raised his brow, looking intently at his colleague.

"Well someone has to. Nate's away on another secret assignment, so I'm the next best thing." He grinned again, hoping to make Callen feel more relaxed around him. "You know I understand you better than the others, right? I've been there, Callen. Falling down that deep tunnel, clinging onto the edge of reason, praying that someone would come and pull me out. You and me, we have similar history, bad childhood, suffered the abuse and abandonment." Deeks released his grip on Callen's hand and took a step back, giving his team leader the space that he understood he needed.

Callen furrowed his brow, studying the man before him. He was right, he knew that all along, but to hear Deeks actually admit that was a huge step. Why was he putting himself out there for him? "Why are you helping me, Deeks? It's I who owe you a favour or two, after all that you've endured for me. Not the other way round."

"That's what family members do for each other. We are family. You and Sam are like my older brothers, Eric my younger brother and Nell my little sister." Callen noted that he left Kensi out and knew why. They were far more than partners and best friends, they were lovers. "Hetty and Granger are our parents."

"Oh now you are going too far on that. Granger, really?" Callen smirked, but got the gist of what Deeks was saying. "You want me to be your brother?" He always referred to Sam as his brother and looked to Hetty as a mother for a long time. Here he had the opportunity to let the rest of the team in as family also.

Deeks nodded. "That's if you'll have me."

Callen looked up at him, blue eyes met blue. "That would be good. Thanks Deeks." He felt tired all the time since the heart attack and knew he needed to sit down. He walked over to the chair by the pool and sat down, hoping Deeks would take his lead. The detective followed and sat down, looking over the cool blue pool.

They sat in silence, mulling over their own thoughts, when Deeks finally broke it. "I mean it when I said you can talk to me, Callen. About what you went through. I won't judge you or think badly about you for any of it. Brothers don't keep secrets from each other." He watched Callen take it in why he was there. To help him heal him. "When something bothers me, I find it helps to talk about it."

"I've never been good at talking, Deeks. Never had anyone to trust enough," he paused and realised that wasn't true, "well, except for Hetty." Callen looked over to a large tree in the garden, reminiscing another time. "When things got so bad with a particular foster family, I would run away to this place. News of my running away would get back to Hetty, and she would find me curled up under that tree." This was a first for Callen to admit this to anyone, and wondered why he was telling Deeks that now. "She would tend to my wounds and give me the comfort no one else could."

"That's why you're so protective of her." Deeks concluded. He'd seen on the occasions when Hetty's life had been in danger, with the Iranians, in Romania, Mattias and when news came through about Hetty's collapse in D.C. He saw the worry and pain inside of Callen and figured out that she was the closest thing he had to a mother.

Callen nodded. "She has meant the world to me, until Gibbs and Sam entered my life. Then I had three people I cared about." It had been huge for him, to let them inside his heart. Now he had found his family, it was time to let the rest of his team inside too.

"And now you have found your own family and you have us too." Deeks grinned, as he noticed the shift inside of Callen. Nate would be impressed with the developments he'd made in such a short time.

"That I do." Callen licked his lips. He felt the shift within him and marvelled how Deeks had managed to achieve it. He looked back at him. "How did you do that?"

Deeks' sunny smile broadened, his whole face lit up. "Do what?" Marty Deeks knew he was a cheeky bastard and Hetty had told him so, a few years ago.

Callen laughed, as he shook his head. "Thanks, Deeks. Marty." Deeks laughed, it was the first time Callen had ever called him by his first name and knew he had made good progress that day.

_Callen appears to be healing emotionally as well as from his virus, although it will be a long journey. He feels tired all the time, but he's slowly allowing his family and team inside to his heart. All has gone well so far and Deeks has managed far better than he thought, although Callen never mentioned his time with Namena to him. It would take time, which Deeks understands, but the first step went well. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	33. Chapter 33

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Now that Callen has returned to Los Angeles, he still has a long road ahead of him to heal from his heart attack. It will give him the time he needs to heal from the rest too. I wonder who will visit him next? Thanks for your continued support and the wonderful reviews. To my guest reviewer, I understand that Matthew Summers is a foreign name, but it's been fun playing around with many possibilities on who G. Callen really is. I have tried to continue writing G or Callen as much as possible throughout this story, but I cannot hide the revelation that he has found his name._

**Chapter 33**

It was three days since Deeks had visited Callen and there was no signs of anyone else in his team visiting him. He understood how crazy work could get, but he at least had expected Sam or Hetty to have come to see him by now. John and Amy kept him occupied during the day when he wasn't sleeping and Emily later after school. But the absence of his team was evident, when he kept looking towards the front door, waiting for someone to ring the door bell. Being in this house without Hetty was a first for Callen and worry began to form in the pit of his stomach, that something was going on back at the mission and he was being kept in the dark. His thoughts were distracted by footsteps out from the rear of the house, to where he lay in the hammock. It had become his favourite spot since his return to Los Angeles. He turned and smiled when Kensi's tall figure stood where her partner had, three days earlier.

"Hey Callen, how are your feeling?" Kensi rested her lean body against one of the pillars that supported the structure.

"Tired, but good. It's great to be back here." He moved to climb out, when Kensi stepped forward to help him. "Thanks." He looked over at her dark brown eyes that were almost as dark as her pupils. She stood about the same height as him when she wasn't wearing high heeled shoes. He preferred his women to be shorter than himself and wondered if that had anything to do with Hetty. The older woman who had cared for him from a distance when he had no family around.

Kensi helped him steady on his feet before she let go. "You're looking much better than you did when we found you unconscious in the cabin. We've all been so worried about you, Callen."

"Thanks, I appreciate everyone's concern." He looked over to the chairs by the pool and led his colleague by taking her hand. They sat down and looked over the tropical landscape around them.

Kensi observed his actions and knew that something had shifted inside of him. This was not the man she was expecting. She had expected him to be closed up, denying what he'd been through, or throwing her out. Deeks had refused to provide any detail with regards to his visit which had caused her to worry, but now that worry dissipated. "Something's changed in you, Callen. you've found peace finally." She scooted her feet off the lounger and faced her team leader. "Deeks wouldn't tell me anything, so I worried, but you're not what I was expecting." She grabbed his hand and held it inside the palm of her own. "You know that our team is a family, don't you?"

Callen looked over at her and waited for what she was going to say next. First Deeks, now Kensi? What had he done to deserve so many people who want to have him in their family? Callen nodded. "So Deeks has told me." He took a swallow and licked his lips before he continued. "You know, Kens, I misjudged him. He's quite a catch. I'm really happy for you to finally find happiness with him. Someone who will never desert you, but stand by your side through the good and the bad. That's rare in this life."

Kensi's smile broadened. "He got to you, didn't he? Worked his magic to heal you, without saying much at all." She chuckled.

Callen nodded. "Yeah he did. Wants me to be his brother. I have no idea why, but he does."

"I do too, Cal. I've always seen you like a big brother. You and Sam. You are family to me, always have been since I joined the team." He saw the seriousness in her eyes and knew that she meant every word she said. "But what I can't understand is why you never saw us as your family? When you needed us the most, you ran." She still held his hand in hers, although she noticed the pull from him to escape from her hold. She had pushed him in a way that only a sister could and hoped that he would open his heart fully to her. Seeing him change, had given her the hope that he would.

"I can't go there, Kens. Please don't." His breathing became rapid, she could feel his pulse quicken and furrowed her brow.

"I know what it's like, Callen. To be kidnapped, tortured and think that you're never going to see those you care about the most, ever again." Her body shivered at the memories that flashed before her eyes. "What we go through in our work to get the job done is something we never wish even upon our enemies. I never really appreciated your sacrifice to save Cherokee from the Iranians until I was trapped in a cave in Afghanistan. You placed yourself out there to be taken by the Iranians, to be tortured until you spilled your guts to what they wanted to hear." Kensi took a hard swallow to rid of the lump that had formed in her throat. "I did the same. Walked into enemy territory alone, just to see Jack."

Callen furrowed his brow, surprised at her admission. "You went there on purpose?" Before that moment, he had blamed Granger for her capture by the Taliban.

Kensi nodded. "I needed to see Jack. The CIA were after him, wanted me to kill him. He was the one they called the White Ghost."

"But there was no White Ghost." Callen responded. "Sabatino admitted to us when we arrived to rescue you that it was made up, because Jack had done some work for them and knew too many names. He'd become a liability."

"He'd found the peace he needed to get over his PTSD. Found the solitude in the mountains amongst the people there. Fell in love and married a local girl." Tears fell from Kensi's face as she admitted to him that she had never been enough to help Jack get through it. "I tried with everything I had to help him get through his nightmares, but I wasn't enough."

Callen pulled her in for a hug. He understood that her admission was big on her part. She had willingly walked into the lion's den to see her former fiancée once more. To give him the heads up on the hunt for him by the CIA. To protect him. The same as he had done with Janvier to protect Nell. But she had a double message for him: to allow Nell in to help him heal. He saw the grief that had haunted Kensi for longer than he'd known her and realised that no matter what he did to protect Nell, she would think that she wasn't enough to help him heal from all that he'd been through. He parted from her and stood up. "You cannot blame yourself, Kens. What Jack went through was too much for himself to deal with, let alone allow you in." He was speaking from his own experience and still felt justified by his own actions to pull away from Nell. She deserved so much better than he could ever give her. "Look at how happy you are now with Deeks. If Jack had stayed, how much longer could you have continued living your life to help him? I know it's haunted you for a long time, but he did it out of love for you. He let you go and now you have Marty in your life. You can have your happy ever after."

"Is that why you ran away? Because you can't have your happy ever after?" She studied the emotions that rippled across his face. He gnawed at the inside of his right cheek to keep himself from breaking. She stood in front of him, pressing him gently with questions, hoping something she'd say would give him the peace to let Nell in. She'd watched Nell since their return to L.A. and knew that not being with him was killing her as much as it was him. Shadows had deepened under her eyes, proof that she wasn't sleeping.

Callen shook his head. "No." His voice came out more like a growl, not that he meant to growl at her, but he struggled to keep his emotions under control without breaking in front of her.

Kensi placed a hand on his upper arm. "You can't forget the bad stuff, Callen. But you've got to make peace with it and it's going to take time." Callen looked intently back at her and realised that she understood his demons and her advice made perfect sense. But what he didn't know, was that she spoke the exact words of advice that Deeks had given her after her confrontation with Officer Wallace, from the DOJ.

Tears fell down Callen's cheeks. "Thanks, Kens." She pulled him into a hug. Their time together had been for each other, not just one for the other. By Kensi's action in opening up to him, she had given him the help he needed to find a way to make peace with what he'd been through. She prayed then afterwards, he'd heal fully and not continue to be tormented for years to come, like Jack had done.

They parted when they heard heavier footsteps and both were surprised to see Sam walking over to them. Callen smiled over to his partner, pleased to see him. "About time."

"We've been busy." Sam defended his absence.

"Deeks managed to come three days ago, what's your excuse?" He was hurt that Sam had taken this long to visit him.

"I've been undercover, this is the first chance I've had since I returned from chasing you all over the country." Sam's voice was clipped, annoyed with his partner for all the heartache that he'd put them through.

"Whose been watching your back?" Callen inquired, concerned that Sam was going undercover without him.

"Agent Nassir." Sam revealed. "Until you're given the all clear, Mick is covering for you." Callen knew Michael Nassir well, he'd helped them on many cases in the past, especially when they were desperate in their search for Dom. "Unless you get a brainwave and decide to tie him up to concrete blocks and dump him in the marina again." Sam's smirk spread across his face, amused over his partner's reaction to another time.

"We were desperate. The suspect spilled his guts afterwards, remember?"

Kensi looked between the two partners and realised what they were talking about. "You did that to Mick?"

Callen shrugged. "Mick agreed and we had divers under the boat shed to help him out of his bonds and give him air until he could get back up to the surface." Sam chuckled. It was good to see his partner returning to his old self. "What's so funny?" He glared over at his partner, not amused to be found so funny."

"It's good to see some of the old G back." Sam patted Callen on his back, pleased to see him looking so well.

"Humph!" Callen shook his head and returned back to their junior member of the team. "So are you going to fill me in on your case?"

Sam and Kensi both shook their heads. "Hetty's orders. No stressing you out." Sam declared. He knew he was on a winner when he added Hetty's name into the mix.

"I've got to go. I'll see you again soon. Thanks for the chat, Callen." Kens meant every word she said.

"Thanks, Kens." Their time together had helped her as much as him. They parted from another hug and the partners watched her walk away before sitting back down on the sun loungers. "I think I should start charging Nate's rates." Callen turned and smirked across to Sam. "You're my third visitor for a one on one chat so far. I could change my career and make something of this." He was joking, but the look on Sam's face was priceless.

"Don't push it, G. It wouldn't take me much to push you into that pool." Sam threatened.

"You wouldn't?" Callen replied, realising just how much Sam meant it. "I'm recovering from a heart attack. No stress remember?" He was playing on it now and Sam knew it.

"Watch it, G." Callen scanned the area for his nearest escape route, knowing only too well that it wouldn't take much for Sam to pick him up and throw him into the clear cool water. Sam noticed the defence mechanism click in with his partner and realised that no matter where Callen was, he was always in agent mode.

"So how's your new partner?" He decided to divert the conversation to stay out of the pool.

"He's less annoying than my last partner, I may put in a request to keep him permanently." Sam jested. But he regretted it immediately, when he saw the look of abandonment in his partner's eyes. "I'm sorry, G. I'm just trying to cheer you up. Things looked pretty intense between you and Kensi before, I thought that you could do with some jesting. Like the good old days." It hit Sam then just how much his partner was still struggling with what he'd been through. His jesting had fallen flat with Callen, when prior to his kidnapping, he would shrug it off like water off a duck's back.

Callen nodded, not wanting to say anything. He knew how much Sam cared for him, he did drive across the country to find him after all. He'd missed him since he'd been kicked out of his room. "It's going to take time, Sam. Maybe even six months before I can return to the field." The realities of his health had hit him hard, although he was making good progress, he felt tired all the time. For someone who rarely slept, that was so very wrong.

"Six months? You're kidding with me aren't you?" Sam never envisaged that his partner would be away from the field for that length of time. "I mean, when you were shot, it was four months and you came back after three."

"Got to make sure my heart can take the exertion. I know that it's hard to get your head around it. It's knocked me for a sixer. You saw me after the shooting, I couldn't stand resting for too long. But now I feel so tired all the time. I couldn't refuse to rest even if I wanted to." Callen closed his eyes, feeling his body scream out for more sleep. He'd fought hard to stay awake this long, but the emotional strain from Kensi's visit had drained him. His mind shut down faster than he'd ever known, drifting off to a blissful sleep of nothingness.

Sam looked over when he realised how quiet his partner had become. His breathing had slowed and deepened and he realised that he'd fallen asleep on him. This was a first. The ever alert G. Callen who'd outwit any suspect on the smallest amounts of sleep he'd known anyone to live on. But here he was, sleeping like a baby, lips slightly parted with a hint of a snore escaping.

"He does that a lot." Sam looked up and saw John approach and sit on a nearby chair beside a table. He indicated to Sam to join him, giving Callen the space he needed to sleep. "He's been looking out for you to come to see him. He's not said it, but I know he's missed you."

"That'll be a first." Sam looked over at Callen expecting him to come back with a retort, but he continued to doze in the autumn sunshine. "Has he said why he ran?"

John shook his head. "He refuses to talk about it. What happened when Namena took him and why he ran." He paused, wondering if he should say the next bit. "I've spoken with Elise. She's filled me in on some things from sixteen years ago, that has explained why he went to the cabin in Virginia and not back here."

"Elise told me some of their past and the significance to the cabin. I get why he went there. That he thought Elise could help him, like she had in the past." Sam had felt helpless back then, that his own partner would choose Elise over him. They had been partners far longer than he ever had with Elise. He'd thought about it on his drive home from Virginia. He realised just how close G and Elise had become in that time and that he'd shared with her all of his dark past, whereas, he'd kept most of it hidden from him. It had hurt that he'd been kept out of the loop, he'd thought he'd proven himself to his partner by now. "I just wish he'd realised that he can trust me with it. That I can help him through it." Sam shook his head. "But after talking with Nell, I have a good idea what happened. She's suffered too, you know. Dark shadows have deepened under eyes, she's not sleeping. Namena haunts her too. They need each other, John. G needs to see that he needs her as much as she needs him.

"I know. But he's not mentioned her once since being back here. On the plane, Nell wouldn't even look at him. I caught Matthew looking over at her a few times before he drifted off to sleep. They need to talk. But I have no idea what happened in Virginia, to have caused this rift between them."

"G tried to spare Nell his pain. He tried to push her away, but Elise stopped him. They were left in the middle of a chat that they both needed, but G needs to listen to Nell this time. He feels guilty that Nell got hurt because of how he feels about her. He doesn't want her to suffer again because of him. Then there's what Namena did to him after they left the warehouse. For him to have had that heart attack, it must have overwhelmed him too much. Agent Gibbs has promised not to tell anyone what state he found him in, and I respect him for it. I wish G would trust me."

"He does trust you, Sam. What he's been through in his life has been an uphill battle. Elise told me what he'd been through. It broke my heart. I wish I could turn the clock back and start all over again. Save Clara and keep my children close." John stood up and took in a deep breath. "Stay while he sleeps. He will appreciate it more than any words that he can say." John needed to be alone, there was no way he would shed the tears in company.

Sam nodded and watched John walk back into the house. He sat back down on the lounger and took in the surroundings. It was peaceful here and wondered how long Callen had known about this particular property of Hetty's.

_Will Callen listen to Kensi's advice? How will Callen and Sam's partnership be after this? Will Sam feel adequate to be there for Callen and will Callen fully trust Sam with all that haunts him? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	34. Chapter 34

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thank you for your patience as I write the last few chapters. I have done well in getting ahead up until now. Thanks for your continued support and for the encouraging reviews._

**Chapter 34**

Nell tossed and turned in her sleep yet again. It had become her new normal and it worried her that she would never get over her nightmares. She'd tried to conceal the bags under her eyes, but with the looks her colleagues gave her, she knew that she had failed in her attempt. She gasped for air as she sat up in her bed, shaking uncontrollably. Her body was damp from sweat as memories of Namena's hands all over her, taunted her. It creeped her out more than she wanted. The feelings it made her feel, were wrong to her on so many levels. How could she allow that witch haunt her from the grave? She had no idea. Her logic vanished when it came to this Serbian woman. She knew that she was indeed safe from her, Gibbs had ensured that detail had been passed onto her. She also knew that Janvier was definitely dead, after staring at his lifeless body for longer than she had wanted to. But still his smirk in watching Namena rip the buttons from her shirt and work her way under the cotton fabric, haunted her as much as the witch did. Each one had been as evil as the other, and she had been a victim just as much as all the others. Well except for Callen. But she needed to tell him that she understood what they had done to him and how it also made her feel. Janvier had stood there enjoying the effects Namena had on both of them, satisfying his own sadistic needs to see her rip at their souls. It had been more enjoyable to him than killing them.

She grabbed her glass and consumed the remainder of its contents, but it didn't quench her thirst. She walked into her bathroom and filled it to the brim, consuming the contents of the clear liquid into her body as fast as she could. She scratched at her body to rid of the touch of Namena, but no matter how much she did it, and how much she bled, she still felt her touch. Tears fell down her face with the realisation that she could no longer do this on her own. She was sure that they would place her in an asylum if she didn't deal with this soon. She turned the tap on in her shower and stepped inside. Her skin stung, where she had scratched too hard, but she needed to feel the pain, it was better than the numbness that slowly crept into her heart. Not seeing Callen nor speaking with him since Roanoke hospital had tore at her, but she was afraid that he would send her away forever. She knew that if that happened, that she could no longer work with him and she didn't want either of them to move jobs. She missed him so much and worried about his recovery. Word had come to her that Deeks, Kensi and now Sam had gone to see him and she knew the pressure on her to see him was mounting. Hetty had sat her down and gently coerced her to go, but she couldn't. Yet at the same time she had run out of options. She needed to see him, it was the only way she could see forward for either of them to make the nightmares go away.

Nell looked at her clock and saw that it was four in the morning. She contemplated whether it was worth trying to get more sleep or to stay awake and get her housework done. She looked at the sparkling clean furniture and spotless floors and realised that she had already cleaned her apartment every early morning since she had returned home. It would do her no good to clean it again. She grabbed her keys and decided to go for a drive. She had no idea where, only that she needed to get out of the apartment. She drove around the streets of Los Angeles, avoiding the areas that she knew to be a bad idea at that time of morning. She pressed on the brakes when she realised to where she had gone. Callen's house. She shook her head and wondered why she ended up here of all places. Nell knew that Callen wasn't staying here, so she decided it was safe to enter. She pulled out the spare key in the plant pot and let herself in. She hoped that Callen's nosy neighbour was asleep and long ago given up on her blog. The subject of Elise had vanished from their thoughts with all the events that had occurred in their lives since then. She laughed lightly at the irony of the neighbour's name. None of them realised at the time what that name meant to Callen back then. She looked around at the three bedroom house, surprised. The usually sparsely furnished property actually had photos in frames hanging on the walls and on furniture that hadn't been there the last time she'd been to his house.

"I wondered how long it would take you to come." His voice shocked her, he wasn't supposed to be here.

She spun around and looked at him sitting at the dining table, reading something on his laptop. "What are you doing here?" She took a few steps over to where he sat, his face glowed from the screen, but the rest of his body hid in the shadows of the early hours. "You're supposed to be resting at Hetty's house." He had caught her out big time. Who in their right mind would enter a vacant house at four forty-five in the morning?

He gave a cynical laugh. "Someone needs to remind Hetty about that fact. She's not been there once since I've been back. Someone would think that she was avoiding me." He studied her and furrowed his brow as he noticed the dark shadows under her eyes. She was tightly wrapped up in a cardigan, holding onto it for dear life, as if she was hiding from him. He stood up and shortened the distance. "You're not sleeping?" He gently brushed his hand on a loose strand of her hair that had escaped being tied back into a ponytail.

She shivered at his light touch, pulling her cardigan even tighter around her body, if that was even possible. It was a safety blanket to her at that moment, to keep herself hidden from him. If he saw her scratches, he'd know for sure just how much Namena had affected her. She didn't want him to worry about her, but at the same time, she needed to tell him how she felt, what she remembered and kept her from sleeping. She was torn.

Callen watched her and worry began to form in the pit of his stomach. How had this petite red head crept under his defences and had him sneaking out of Hetty's to catch her here? He'd been coming all week, waiting for her, but this was the first time that she had come. But he'd expected her late at night, not at this early hour, before the sun even peeped it's glory from the east. "What's wrong, Nell?" His voice was gentle, not wanting to startle her anymore than he'd already had.

"Nightmares." She looked up into his cerulean eyes and felt him look deep into her soul.

"From killing Janvier?" The news that it had been her that had killed him, although it had impressed him, worried him just the same. This was not something Nell was accustomed to. It wasn't what he wanted for her. He wanted to see her bright sunny smile that made her hazel eyes sparkle, as she bounced around the mission. Looking at her now, it tore at him to see her in this state.

Nell shook her head. "No…Yes." She wasn't sure how much of it was about her taking a life. She'd analysed it many times, probably too many times, which is probably what contributed to her problem of not sleeping.

"Nell?" He whispered her name, unsure what was bothering her.

Nell took in a ragged breath and held it for a moment before heaving out a loud sigh. "I know what you went through, Matt. I know what she did to you, because I remember what she did to me." She wrapped her arms around her torso, to hug herself.

Callen knitted his brow together, his heart thumped against his rib cage. He'd thought she had no memory of their time in the back of the warehouse. When he'd gone in as a trade for her, she had no memory of who she was, let alone who he was. He'd prayed that when she got her memory back, that she would have forgotten the trauma, the car accident, her injuries, although the plaster still clung to her left arm, and what Namena did to both of them. He groaned as realisation hit him. "You remember?" His own voice quivered, as emotions of his own experience from that day flashed across his face.

"Yes." She looked up at him with her large hazel eyes with the same terrifying knowledge of truth he saw haunt him back in the mirror. "I can't sleep because when I do, all I feel are her hands on my body….the feelings she stirred inside of me….Janvier's smirk as Namena took what hope I had left away." Tears spilled down her cheeks, her body shook from the emotion that rippled through her. "I'm going crazy, Matt. I can't get rid of her. It's making me go crazy." She pulled back from him, afraid for him to touch her. To feel the same sensations that thrilled her, although it had been against her will. Anger sparked from within her as she set her jaw tight. "She had no right to touch me, to touch you, to do what she did to us."

Tears escaped Callen's welled up eyes, seeing her pain and feeling it inside his heart. No wonder why his heart ached so much when he looked at her. She understood and she felt the pain that he couldn't tell anyone. But here was Nell telling him. She knew exactly what Namena had aroused within him, bound to the wall of the warehouse, unable to flee, only to close his eyes, to shut her out. Yet the sensations still affected him. He lifted his hand up to wipe her tears away, but she flinched at his touch. He understood her reaction, he'd been there himself. But he knew he had allowed Elise in to help him back in Virginia, although he couldn't tell her what had happened. He'd suffered that kind of abuse on his body many times before. Yet it hadn't dulled the pain and how dirty he felt. "Nell, I'm sorry. I should have protected you from her and from Janvier. You've suffered too much because of me."

Nell shook her head in disagreement. "No." It came more forceable than she intended, but she needed to get through to him that none of it was his fault. "It was Janvier and Namena's fault. Not yours. You are a victim just as I am. But I can't get over this alone. I need you." Her pleading made him groan. It wasn't supposed to go down like this. He was to gently let her go, no matter how much it hurt him. He was prepared to go elsewhere and allow her to remain on the team. He's looked on the NCIS website for available positions down in San Diego, if it meant that he didn't have to see her. But now, having her so close to him, he couldn't do it. Seeing how much her own experience from the hands of Namena had on her, made him realise that he wasn't in this on his own. In the past he had only himself to consider. It was easy then, but now she needed him.

"Nell, I'm never going to get past this. I don't think I can ever be what you deserve." He chocked on a sob. _Why is this so hard?_ "You deserve to be happy, I'm a broken man."

"Yes you are, Matt. You are everything that I deserve. Don't I have a choice in the matter too? I understand how you feel. Unworthy to be loved ever again because she haunts me. Makes me feel dirty every time I close my eyes. I can't sleep because she comes back to me from the dead every damn night. I can't wash her off me." Nell began to claw at her body through her cardigan.

Callen watched her and realised that she was self inflicting pain on herself. He knew that behaviour well. He stepped closer and gently held her hands. "Don't, please, Nell. Don't hurt yourself. She's gone. I saw her lifeless body after Gibbs shot her in the head. She can't hurt either of us ever again." As he moved her hands away from her body, her cardigan dropped and he saw remnants of her scratches. Bright blood sparkled though the light of dawn from off her exposed torso, although she had tried hard to cover herself up well, he caught glimpses that ran up from her chest to her neck. His eyes widened as he realised that he and only he could help her. He caught them both by surprise by the kiss he placed on her lips. Their breaths mingled as something took over from their fears and common sense. He pulled her closer, their bodies pressed against each other as he nipped on her lower lip, to ask for entry. A moan escaped her throat that appeared foreign to her as she gave him entry and his tongue explored her mouth and their tongues danced.

His sensibility returned and he pulled away, his heart racing as he gently traced her jawline with his calloused thumb. "Nell, I don't ever want to hurt you. But I can't promise you that I won't. Nor that some psychotic enemy won't come after you because of me. I can't live with myself if anything happened to you. When Janvier took you, I couldn't get there quick enough to free you. I would die for you, just so you would live in safety. But even I couldn't spare you this last time. I tried, but I couldn't…" His voice cracked at the seams as another wave of emotion hit him.

"But you did." She held his face in her hands, directing his gaze on her. "You saved me by coming to my rescue. But you weren't to know that Janvier would change the deal and bring Namena into the game and do what she did. They are both dead, we need to deal with this, but I don't know how to do this on my own." She wiped his tears away. "I need to feel something other than her hands on me. Please." Her body shook as Callen held her close to him.

He kissed her on the temple. "We both need to feel something else." He shocked himself at his admission. He never thought he could ever talk about it, but Nell had once again delved into his heart so easily. _Just like Elise._ He saw the similarities of both women and wasn't surprised that Elise had pushed him to give Nell a chance. She ruined her chance to be with him, so she pushed him towards Nell. Elise saw herself in Nell and knew that she could be trusted to have his heart. It all made sense to him now. Elise knew him better than he did himself. So did Nell.

He took her hand and led her through to his now fully furnished bedroom. "I don't want to rush you, Nell. I don't want to hurt you. I know what we need, but neither of us are ready for that. Let me hold you, so you can sleep. I will keep your nightmares away." His body felt tired again and he was glad that this was something that he could do for her.

Nell nodded and laid down on the queen size bed and looked at Callen as he laid beside her. She rested her head on his chest, his heart beat lulled her off to sleep and he soon followed. Their breathing slowed and settled into a comfortable rhythm as the sun rose over the city of Angels. At nine-thirty in the morning, Nell's cell rang from the living room. Callen looked over at Nell's peaceful frame and decided against moving. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep only to be woken half an hour later with his partner standing over them, slightly annoyed but also amused.

Callen opened his eyes, surprised to see Sam there. "What are you doing here?" He whispered. "You need to leave. She needs the sleep."

"We were worried about her. She never came into work. Found her cell here. Then John rang Hetty, panicking over where you had disappeared to." Sam whispered back. "I'll go and leave you both in peace." Sam smirked over at his partner, pleased to find them both safe and sleeping peacefully. It was rare for him to find his partner asleep and he was making the most of the opportunity while it lasted.

It was around noon when Nell stirred and a flash of panic crossed her expression. She looked at her watch and realised that she'd slept in. Callen opened his eyes, slightly amused to see her dishevelled. "Hetty's going to kill me."

Callen grabbed her by her shoulders to still her. "It's okay. They know where you are." He tried to appease her tense state. "Sam popped in earlier, when they tried to call you and you didn't answer, they located you here."

"Sam came here, as in this bedroom and saw us…" She felt foolish to be caught in Callen's house in his bed with him by a colleague.

"Relax, Nell. It's okay. Sam's not going to tell anyone how he found us. You needed the sleep, we both did. Hetty's given you the day off. You sure do need it."

Nell furrowed her brow, unsure of how much to believe him. "You sure?" She pulled away for her cell, surprised it now rested by the bed and not out in the living room. She looked at the numerous missed calls and noted they all occurred before nine thirty. She listened to the voice messages and relaxed after Hetty's voice came through on the last message ordering her to take the day off to catch up on her sleep.

"Now do you believe me?" Callen knew that life with Nell would never be dull, but he never expected it to be like this. He saw her nerves intensify with worry and then relax. A smirk appeared on the edge of his lips, his life was looking in the upward direction. Why had he ever thought that he couldn't give Nell what she deserved? She deserved sleep and he'd given her that. She needed him and he had given her the comfort. Perhaps she was right after all. It was a new thing for him to learn, but he was willing to give it a try.

Nell nodded. "Yes, thanks." A small smile appeared on her face. "But I need to pee." She bolted from the bedroom faster than a lightning bolt, as he heard her quick steps speed up the hallway to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut behind her, desperate to relieve herself.

He waited for her to finish before he walked out of the bedroom and take his turn in the bathroom. Sharing was another thing he would have to get used to.

"I'll make some coffee." Nell suggested, but earned a shake of Callen's head in return. "Tea. We both need to sleep later." He made sense and she agreed.

_Finally we got to see Nell and Callen united and have the rest of that talk. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	35. Chapter 35

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the wonderful reviews. We will discover why Hetty stayed away so far and what surprise she has install for him. Let's hope the news is good and helps him in his recovery._

**Chapter 35**

The doorbell rang jolting Callen and Nell back to consciousness. They had drifted back off to sleep on the sofa. Callen pried himself away from her and answered the door. On the other side stood Hetty Lange with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Matthew. May I come in?" Callen nodded, stepping back to allow her access. Hetty looked around, pleased to see that he'd made the effort to make his house a home. He knew Emily being in his life had a great deal to do with it. "Miss Jones, I have made an appointment for you with an old friend." She handed over the business card for the counsellor, Cheryl Sparks. She has helped many women in your situation, your appointment is in an hour. You'll have enough time to go home and shower before hand." She gave Nell a small smile, knowing too well what her analyst had been through.

"Thanks, Hetty." Nell looked over to Callen who nodded, accepting that Hetty's advice was a good one. She quickly gave him a hug, before she grabbed her cell and keys, and exited the house.

Callen looked over to his petite Operations Manager. "You knew what she went through?" He was surprised, but then again, he shouldn't have. Hetty knew everything.

"The information came to my attention, my dear Matthew, as much as it breaks my heart, she at least is able to talk a little about it. Her visits with Cheryl should help her move forward, now that the two of you have had your talk." She walked over to the dining table and sat down. "We also need to talk."

Callen followed suit and sat down opposite her. "I've been waiting for you to come a visit me at your house. It's not the same without you being there." Memories of all the times Hetty had come to his aide, whenever things had gone bad at many of his thirty-seven foster homes, returned for both of them. She had soothed him and attended to his wounds, some of which he'd be ashamed even now to admit if anyone asked him. But she had remained tight lipped about it all and remained focused on tending to his injuries. "Why have you stayed away?" He never liked being kept in the dark about anything, his trust issues were low as it was. But when Hetty behaved out of character, his mind twirled through numerous answers as to the reason why. None of them were good and they worried him.

"Perhaps that's where I've gone wrong over the years, Matthew." Hetty pursed her lips as she thought over how she was going to move forward with this last piece of information that she'd kept hidden from him.

"What do you mean, gone wrong? You regret coming to my rescue for all of those years?" His voice rose in pitch, with disbelief.

"On the contrary, Matthew. I was thankful that you trusted me enough to come to me when you were beaten and," she looked up at him, catching his shared look of what he'd been through growing up. "That is not what I was referring to."

"Then please explain." Callen sat there watching Hetty shuffle under his stare. He noticed how uncomfortable she was and curiosity got the better of him. "What is it, Hetty?"

"It's the house. It was never mine." She openly admitted.

Callen raised his brows in surprise. "But you took me there and told me I could go there whenever I needed your help. I was only eight at the time,"

"recovering from a broken arm, fractured ribs and bruised pelvis." She finished for him. Only eight, but already a victim of a crime no child should ever endure. Nor any human being, to that fact. The foster father involved had been charged with assault and rape of a minor in five cases that had been brought to their attention. But only after Hetty had intervened and reported the bastard. Callen had remained in her care while he recovered for the next two months, only to be shipped off to another family, unsure of what his future held.

A tear spilled down his cheek, he quickly wiped it away, but was replaced by another. Hetty placed her weathered hand over his fully grown one to soothe him. "I am so sorry, my dear boy, that I couldn't have kept you with me for good after that. I only discovered where you were the year prior to then, but my bosses refused to allow me to keep you. I had work to do, responsibilities for my country, the safety of my fellow countrymen relied on my sacrifice. Tears welled up in her eyes and she paused to continue. She sniffed back the emotion and folded her hands back in front of her.

Callen looked lost watching her pull back from him. He saw the kind heart that she'd always held for him and knew she was barely holding herself together.

"I'm getting too old for his, Matthew. I should have come clean with you a long time ago."

Callen furrowed his brow. "About what?"

"The house." She dabbed a lace handkerchief around her eyes to wipe the moisture away.

"What about the house? You said it was never yours, is that why it's location never appeared for sale, when Mattias came after you?"

Hetty nodded. "Yes, that is why is was the safest place to take the Tates, Mitchells and your family to when the Zivkovics came to town. No one has ever found out about it."

He knew that this property had never been found by the Comescus either when they came looking for Hetty's file, Operation Comescu, or Hetty, herself. He understood her reason to sell the red brick home after the invasion three years earlier. He would have too, if that had happened at his home. So far he'd only had that gypsy sent there by Arkady. And he'd dealt with him to ensure he never returned. "Whose house is it?"

Hetty gave Callen a warm smile. "It was built in nineteen thirty, by a successful businessman, by the name of Gregory Callen."

Callen looked up, surprised. "Who?"

"Gregory Callen is your great-grandfather. He married a woman named Victoria Nelson." She moved closer to him. "This is where it gets very interesting.

Callen focused on every word the older woman spoke, soaking in the details of his own family history.

"Victoria had her named changed for her own safety. She fled Russia in 1918, after all her family were executed."

Callen took in the date and thought back to the history he'd read about on the country. "The Tsar and his family, Nicholas II, his wife Alix and their five children were murdered by the secret police." The event had angered him at the time, thinking of the injustice of a royal family being murdered by their own people. "But Anastasia's body was never found." He remembered the detail and had hoped that she indeed had escaped the evil and lived a happy life somewhere safe.

"She escaped to New York and changed her name. She met Gregory and they married soon after. She was eighteen at the time."

Callen tried to do the math in his head. He knew that in World War two, his grandfather had killed some Comescus, but returned after the war and married a Roma girl. There were so many near escapes that brought about his existence, he shook his head in disbelief. "How old was George when he joined OSS?"

"He was in his early twenties when he joined and was thirty when he married Ana Pavlenco." Hetty paused as she waited for him to catch up with the name.

"Where have I heard that name before?" A smile spread across Hetty's face. "Ana's mother, Regina Pavlenco was a relative of the Comescus, but refused to have anything to do with their criminal activities. Regina, married Mihai Pavlenco and were friends of my parents, all of whom were thrown into a concentration camp in World War two and where I was born. They already had four children who were much older than myself, Ana being the eldest at eleven. I was two days old when my mother died, so they took me in as their child."

Callen tried to deal with all the information. "Are you saying that I am related to the Comescus?"

"I'm afraid so, my dear Matthew." It shook him more than he realised. The news that Alexa, Dracul, Anton and Vasile Comescu had been relatives, although distant, bothered him.

"Who were your parents?" He pushed the Comescu news to the back of his head to deal with later.

"Laurentiu Gabor and Elisabeta Dalca. My father died two months before I was born." Callen placed his hand over Hetty's realising that she was an orphan at two days old.

"I'm sorry, Hetty. Were the Pavlenco's good to you?" He looked over at her with concern.

Hetty smiled. "They were. Your grandmother, Ana was a great little mother to me and doted on me like I was a doll. We became very close, even after she married your grandfather, George. She escaped to America after the Comescus came after him and killed him. They lived in the family house in Doheny Road, until your mother went back to Romania. Ana asked me to look after the house while Clara was away, as she suddenly became very sick and soon died. She had pancreatic cancer and hadn't had it diagnosed early enough to treat it. I've taken good care of your family home ever since."

Callen stood to get his head around this news. "So let me get this straight." He turned and faced her. "My great grandfather, Gregory Callen was a successful businessman who lived in New York. He married the only survivor, Anastasia from the Russian Imperial family, who changed her name to Victoria Nelson. They had two children. My grandfather George and his sister, Annabel. My grandfather inherited the family fortune which was passed onto my mother and now Amy and me."

Hetty stood and walked over. "Not quite." Callen furrowed his brow. "The family estate dictates, that if there is a son, he inherits it fully, over any sisters that he has, whether they be older or younger. The house and all your family's wealth is solely yours."

"That's not right. I can't take all of it. Amy deserves her share." Callen replied, not agreeing with his great-grandfather's restrictions on his estate. "Gregory died a long time ago. I can understand he might have done that with George and Annabel, but not now. It must be shared. Amy has three sons, I only have Emily." He paced his living room floor. "What is the family fortune worth in its entirety?"

Hetty took a deep breath in. "Ten Billion US dollars."

Callen swayed as the news hit him. He sat down on the sofa, placing his head in his hands. His heart pumped rapidly under his ribs at the news. So much money. More than he could ever want. He looked up, his vision blurred from the pressure his hands placed over his eyes. "That's too much. We could feed so many poor people with that money. Do you realise how many homeless people we could feed and shelter? Educate them to work for a living and dissolve our unemployment crisis?"

Hetty wasn't surprised by his statement, neither his grandparents or mother were bothered to use much of the family inheritance. They were too busy playing heroes to care. "I am well aware of what this money can do. We have to visit the bank in Switzerland to arrange it into your name. Now, although it states that it all goes to you, Matthew, after taxes, the amount will be reduced. But if you keep the money in Switzerland, you can avoid paying taxes on the money. You may set up a bank account in your sister's married name and transfer however much you wish to share with her. The Doheny Road property will occur taxes, which you can pay from your Swiss bank account, once the transfer of ownership is issued in your name." Hetty sat back down in an armchair, in which she appeared to be swallowed up. "Now the family jewels. These jewels have been in your great grandmother's family for hundreds of years. She managed to bring some of them with her when she fled Russia and was able to transfer the money from the family's Swiss bank account into her new name without trace, thanks to the help Gregory provided her."

Callen looked over at her. "We need to call Amy."

"How about we take a drive to your house and ask her to meet us there?" Hetty suggested.

"Thanks, Hetty." He walked over and hugged her. "I suppose that makes us family then." He smirked over to her.

Hetty eyes sparkled as she smiled. "I guess it does, Matthew." She stood up and walked over to the front door, picking up her handbag. "You are now in the position to pay for Emily's tuition if you so wish."

"Hell yeah." He breathed out. Hetty narrowed her eyes, slightly amused by his reaction. He was far more wealthy than all the families at the Marlborough School, combined. He shook his head in disbelief, he couldn't fathom any of the news. Together with both of Clara's children, Hetty could now delve into the family history and bring out the family jewels. There was a vault in the basement of the property that only she knew existed, which would make both of their eyes pop out with all the treasure that it contained inside. She slightly chuckled to herself over how they they will react. After all the heartache both children had suffered at losing their mother at such a young age, now it was time for them to celebrate and take what was truly theirs.

_I've had to draw out two family trees to write this chapter. I hope you follow the links here with regards to who Callen's ancestors are and how his grandmother connects with Hetty. To simplify it, Callen's grandmother was Hetty's older step sister. What do you think about the news of the Doheny Drive property and the wealth? Hetty is hoping this news will help him feel a great deal more worthy now. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	36. Chapter 36

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the wonderful reviews. Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Life has been busy._

**Chapter 36**

**_Four months on…_**

It all had gone pear shaped as Sam's cover was blown and he disappeared from radar. He'd been undercover with a local gang for three months, passing on details of his intel to Nell via a sleek handover at a local diner. No one had figured out what he was doing each time he placed an order at Pippa's Diner on E Thirty-Fourth Street. Or so he thought. Tied up to the pillar inside an abandoned warehouse somewhere downtown, he knew he'd been burned. He'd tried to remain in character as Big Bubba G, but the kicks to his ribs winded him and he curled up his body to defend himself.

Agent Nassir called in Sam's disappearance and immediately Eric searched for his GPS tracker that had been sewn inside his clothing, to locate him. Everything was a blank.

"I don't understand?" Eric Beale worked endlessly to locate Sam, but to no avail. "We tracked him to this location and then he just vanished."

Henrietta Lange stood over the Technical Operator feeling the hopelessness of the situation. She remained stoic to her people around her, being the tower of strength that they needed, but even she struggled to hold off the doubt that they would find Sam alive. "Send Deeks and Kensi to his last known location, Mr Beale."

She stood in the middle of Ops, watching Eric work his magic, but this time nothing appeared to be going their way. She'd called him in early due to the seriousness of the situation, but he needed his partner beside him to help. However, Miss Jones was needed elsewhere, so Eric Beale would have to wait for her to return to Ops and deal with the dire situation on his own. It wasn't a first, he was used to flying solo in Ops on many occasions, but with Callen still recovering from his heart attack and Sam disappearing like this, the strain was evident as sweat beaded across his forehead.

**_Nell's Apartment, Venice Beach…_**

Nell Jones snuggled up to Callen in her bed, not wanting to leave the warmth of his body. Since that first morning four months earlier, they had spent every night in either of their beds, snuggling. However, this did not include the Doheny Road property. Callen continued to struggle in his acceptance of the news about his family's inheritance and only stayed there during the day with his father or sister. His team continued to visit him at the Beverley Hill's residence during those long days, except for Sam. Callen had noted his partner's absence, and thought it was because he had failed him.

Nell came over whenever she had the spare time and progressed well with her counselling with Cheryl Sparks and had returned to work after a month's absence. Their companionship at night provided them with the comfort that they both needed to make peace with their demons.

Suddenly, Callen bolted awake, causing her to pull away from him. "Sam!" His breathing hitched as fear for his partner consumed him. He turned his head towards her. "Something's wrong. We need to find Sam."

Nell furrowed her brow. She'd never told him about Sam being deep undercover, nor her involvement at Pippa's diner. Although he had questioned her many times over why Sam hadn't been to see him over the past three months, she'd tried to hide her own concerns about Sam from him, without much luck. Callen had pried and prodded and knew that she was under the directive order of Hetty not to tell him a thing. But it didn't appease him. She was due to meet with Sam later that day for another handover of intel, but as her cell rang and she saw Hetty's id on the screen, dread grew within her too.

"Hetty." She stood up and walked out of the bedroom, hoping to speak with their boss privately.

"Miss Jones, we have a situation." Hetty didn't like it, but she knew she needed to send her analyst back under cover, in the hope Sam makes their meeting.

Nell listened to her boss and looked over to Callen who leaned against the wall by the kitchen, studying her responses to the call. He saw the fear in her eyes and knew instantly that he was right. Sam was in trouble.

"It's imperative that Matthew knows nothing about this. Am I clear, Miss Jones?"

"It's too late for that, Hetty. He knows. He woke up saying his name. He knows something is wrong."

Nell's response caught the old spy by surprise. She knew Callen and Sam were close like brothers, but she never envisaged that Callen would be so in tune with his partner that he would know. But she should have known. That gut instinct of Callen's was so much like his mother's. "May I speak with him?"

Nell handed her cell over to Callen and watched him listen to Hetty. His body tensed as their boss filled him in on the current case.

"But Hetty," Callen defended.

"No buts, Matthew. You haven't been cleared to return to work let alone to go out to the field. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself." She knew him well, and now that Sam was in trouble and that he knew about the situation, the likelihood of him going lone wolf was extremely high.

Callen disconnected the call, annoyed. He brewed under the surface, but didn't want to take it out on Nell. He had another doctor's appointment at the end of the week, where he hoped that he could at least be able to return to work, even if it was in the office. Nell had brought home all of his paperwork that had piled up over the time he'd been away and from prior to his absence, so he'd been catching up on them. It was common knowledge that he hated paperwork, but as team leader, he had more than his partner and colleagues. At least it gave him something to do. He spent the days out at in the garden while Nell was at work and they were joined by Emily, John and Amy, when they could.

"I've got to go, Matt." Nell quickly dressed and brushed her hair as she walked out the door, giving him a quick kiss and hug as she left. As she opened the door, John pulled up outside, to take him over to the Doheny Road residence and spend the day with him. His cell rang and he picked it up, listening intently to Hetty on the other end.

"I'm there now, Hetty. Don't you worry, I will make sure I keep him with me at all times." John disconnected the call and waved to Nell as she drove her mini cooper up the street. He walked up to the front door and was about to enter, when Callen exited.

"We've got to go. Sam's in trouble." Callen knew that his father would come to spend the day with him and that Hetty would ensure John knew how important it was for him to keep a close eye on his son. He'd concluded that he might as well take his father with him, at least he had backup. "Follow Nell." Something told him that she wan't heading to the mission.

John knew he was in for a battle with his son if he refused. He decided that it was better if he did it with him than have his son go it alone. "Hetty's filled me in, son. You sure you're up to this?" He looked over to his son with concern.

Callen turned and looked over at his father. "I'll go crazy if I don't do something to help him. He's the closest thing I have to a brother. I can't stand it that I've not seen him for three months. I miss him. If I don't help find him, I don't know what I'll do?"

John nodded and proceeded to follow Nell in her mini cooper, bearing in mind not to get caught by the Intelligence Analyst. They pulled over fifty yards from Pippa's diner and watched Nell enter. Callen grabbed his father's cap and jumped out of the vehicle. He walked up to the diner, taking in where the security cameras were and entered. He took a seat in the far corner and opened a spare newspaper left on the seat. He watched Nell exit from the rear in the diner's uniform and almost fell off his chair. He groaned inside at the sight of her walking around in the short pale pink dress and high heels. Her legs were longer and toned more than he realised, and he managed to pull the paper up just in time before another waitress walked over to see to him.

"Coffee?" Callen shook his head.

"Tea, English Breakfast. Thanks." The waitress returned with the brew and placed it in front of him, when his father slid in the booth and sat across from him.

"I recommend our breakfast special, the Harvester." Callen scanned the menu and almost died when he saw what the Harvester included. Fried eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage, mushroom, tomato, corn fritters and waffles. Even his old self would have struggled to consume all of that. John watched Callen's eyes widened at the menu.

"I'll go for the muesli and low fat yoghurt." He finally decided. "With berries. Thanks."

The waitress studied him and showed her surprise in his choice. She shrugged and turned to John for his order.

"Coffee, black, and I'll have the poached eggs on the turkish bread with mushrooms and tomato on the side." The woman nodded, more pleased with his order than Callen's. What she didn't know, was that he was trying hard to keep healthy, so he could return to work sooner, rather than later.

"See anything?" John whispered over to his son, who sat in the corner booth with the best view in the diner. John, who had his back to the bar and entrance, depended on Callen to warn him if Nell or anyone suspect, came over to them.

"Not yet." Callen kept his head low as he spied over to the entrance and the bar. Thankfully, Nell hadn't spotted their presence yet.

**_Ops Centre…._**

"Hetty, we have a problem." Eric Beale brought up the surveillance footage that came in live from Pippa's diner. "Two men entered soon after Nell."

Hetty studied them and shook her head. She pulled out her cell and dialled. "What do you think the two of you are doing?"

John should have known that the Office of Special Projects would have eyes out on the diner. "Eating breakfast with my son. There's no law against that. And before you ask, he's drinking English breakfast tea and eating muesli, low fat yoghurt and berries."

Callen knitted his brows together and mouthed "Hetty?" over to him. John nodded in reponse. Callen looked up at the camera and held up his tea cup, pleased with himself.

"Cheeky bastard." Hetty muttered over the phone. "Tell that son of yours, that if he doesn't leave that diner now, he'll fail his next medical to return to work."

Callen had pulled the cell from his father and heard every word Hetty had said. "I don't respond to threats, Hetty. You know me better than most. Why are you surprised? I won't do anything I cannot handle." He disconnected the call and passed the cell back over to his father, with a smirk. "That'll teach her."

John shook his head. His son did have iron guts, a strength that he could even stand up to the Duchess of Deception, when many warriors buckled from just her gorgon stare. They waited for contact to be made with Nell. But there was no sign of Sam. An hour passed and Callen noticed the ADD personality trait of Nell's peep from under her cover. She kept cleaning the bar and was now mopping the floor throughout the diner. There would only be a minute before she spotted them both sitting there and get mad with him. But he needed to know where Sam was, to ensure that he was safe.

Nell stopped mopping, when a familiar face entered the diner. She returned to the bar and placed her bubbly face on for the new customer. "What can I get for you today?"

The man slid onto the stool and pulled a weapon out on Nell. She looked panicked and froze on the spot. What neither her or Hetty had realised, was that not only had Sam's identity been burned, but so had hers. Without a blink, Callen identified trouble to his father. Both men, grabbed their weapons and prepared to rescue Nell, when three more armed men entered the diner. They pulled back into their booth and placed their weapons back into their waistbands. They eluded to the fact that they were there and saw their guns, returning to their newspaper. They needed to come up with a better plan, to not only save Sam, but also Nell.

Back in Ops, Eric contacted Deeks and Kensi, to head to the diner. Owen Granger and Michael Nassir, sat at the other end of the diner to where Callen and John sat. Owen had seen the Summers men enter earlier, and although he'd been annoyed over Callen's disregard to orders, he was now pleased to know that he had another two there to help him get Nell out of her predicament.

John's cell vibrated and he saw a message from Granger. "Agent Nassir and I are at the other end of the diner. We'll distract, you come up from behind. Nell's armed behind the counter." That put them in the majority, five of them, to four of the bad guys. They had the position in their favour.

"Got it. Ready when you are." John replied, after he showed the message to his son. Callen nodded and prepared for action. His heart quickened, at the thought of some action. It had been four months since he'd seen any action of playing the hero. Ironically, the last time he was in this position, he traded his life for Nell's. Then it had gone horribly wrong, this time, he was determined for this to go right. Two lives depended on it, as well as all of the customers and staff in the diner. Michael Nassir and Owen Granger stood up and pulled their weapons out, ordering the armed assailants to drop their weapons. John and Callen drew up from the other end and Nell pulled her weapon out from behind the bar. The four armed men looked around and found them surrounded and out numbered. Kensi and Deeks entered the diner and added another two to the mix. They dropped their weapons and were cuffed and led away to the boat shed by Deeks, Kensi and Nassir.

"Go home, Matthew." Granger ordered Callen. He looked over at his old friend. "Take him home, John. We need him better before he can be of any help. I can't risk him collapsing on us when we need him." John nodded and led his son out the door. He understood the need for his son to keep Nell safe and to find his partner and had supported him, but Owen was right. Matthew was ordered to stay calm and rest for six months, not four.

Nell looked wide eyed over at Callen, realising for the first time that they were there. They'd followed her and she was annoyed with herself that she had led them to the diner. She understood Callen's need to help save Sam, but he still had another two months before he could return to the field. It worried her that he'd do this, on numerous occasions, but this was the first that he'd actually broken his doctor's orders. He smirked over to her, once the relief of her being safe, settled inside of him. The need he felt to protect her had consumed him. He couldn't stay away from ensuring that she was safe. Now he needed to find out where his partner was. But he'd been discovered and his prospect on getting away with finding Sam was going to be more of a challenge.

_Poor Callen, he so desperately wants to return to the field and help save his partner. At least he has his father on his side. But will John support him again, to help him find Sam? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	37. Chapter 37

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the wonderful reviews. Time to find Sam._

**Chapter 37**

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Nell worked tirelessly besides Eric, while Deeks and Kensi continued to check out all of the known locations the gang had been to over the past three months. Owen Granger and Michael Nassir visited known associates of the gang, in hope someone would know where Sam was. Nothing came up from their searches and brought them all back to the Office of Special Projects, feeling dejected. Hetty called in all her known contacts, in hope that someone could help. Lastly, she dialled Arkady Kolcheck. The former KGB agent was known to have a soft heart for her team leader, so she hoped that he might have heard something with regards to Sam.

"Mr Kolcheck," she greeted him.

"Henrietta, is Callen okay?" If the situation hadn't been so pressing, she would have settled on updating him on Callen's situation, however, time was of the essence.

"He's fine, Mr Kolcheck. His partner, however, is not." Arkady listened to Hetty explain the situation in hope that he could provide them some form of intel to help locate Sam, before it was too late.

**_Arkady's Mansion…_**

"I see. I will make a few calls and see what I can find out for you, Henrietta." He disconnected the call and shook his head with a smirk on his face, when he found his old friend walk out holding his bodyguards hostage with his weapon. "I see you still don't have any trust for my men, yet you continue to come to me when you need something. I've told you before, Callen, I am not interested in providing you with favours, I have a business to run. You still owe me a favour from eighteen months ago."

John Summers stepped out from behind his son and saw the look of surprise on Arkady's face. "Hello, Arkady. It's been a long time, my old friend."

"Nikita?" Arkady's grin broadened and he greeted his old friend with a hug.

"You said you didn't know who my father was," Callen told him annoyed. He'd hoped that the Russian could have helped him locate him when he finally found out his father's name. Although now he knew it to be an alias. And here he was greeting his father like an old friend.

Arkady pulled back and looked over at Callen. "You look so much like your father, how could I not know whose son you were." He looked between the father and son, gazing at their shared cerulean eyes.

"Then why did you lie to me?" Callen was tired of people keeping secrets from him. He wanted to put Arkady in a position where he felt he owed him something and not the other way round.

"I hadn't seen your father for a very long time. Not until today." Arkady grinned over to John, happy to see him again. "I had nothing new that I could give you. All I would have done is given you false hope. But why get upset about this now, you've found each other now." He patted Callen on the back. "You need to relax, moy syn."

"How can I when my partner is missing?" Callen scanned the garden for danger.

"Ah, yes. Henrietta, she just called me and asked for my help. I was about to make some calls. How are you, my old friend?" Arkady poured some tea for his guests.

"I'm fine." Callen deviated his gaze to the tea pot, wishing he could do more for his partner, than chase up old contacts for help.

Arkady studied Callen for a moment and frowned. "No, you're not fine." He looked over to John and became curious as to why there was something amiss about his old friend. "What's going on? Henrietta doesn't normally call me as well as you visit me. Have you two had a fight?"

"No. We're good. We need to find Sam, Arkady. We'll let you make your calls." Callen sat with his arms crossed over his chest, as he waited for Arkady to make those calls he promised.

"Okay. I will make them now." The Russian strolled across the paved patio, into the rear of his lavish white washed house and into his study.

"Do you two always behave like this around each other?" John asked his son, amused.

"Pretty much," Callen shrugged. "If I don't play this way, he'll turn it around that I owe him a favour. This way, I get him to help me regardless."

John chuckled. "Oh I can see Arkady has a soft spot for you, my son."

"He's helped us on occasions." Arkady exited the house with some good news.

"You are in luck. I have an address where you can find your partner." He passed the address on a piece of paper to him. "Take back up with you, if you want to succeed. I hear this gang has ties with some Croatians. Not a good mix."

Callen and John stood up to leave. "Thanks, Arkady."

John hugged Arkady. "Thanks, my old friend, for taking care of my son for all of these years and for helping him."

"You're welcome, Nikita. For you, anything. For your son, too. Just don't tell him I said that." John laughed and followed his son out to the car.

**_Ops Centre…_**

"Callen, I can't tell you anything," Nell curtly replied as she answered his call.

"Hello to you too." He could tell that she was annoyed with him for turning up at the diner earlier. "But I've not called for info, Arkady's given me the address for Sam's location."

"Where?" She quickly typed in the address of the abandoned warehouse, downtown. "But that's not in their territory or from any of their known locations."

"It belongs to a Croatian group that the San Clarita gang have teamed up with. We're heading there now. We need back up and an ambulance at the ready."

"Wait, Matt. You can't just go in there, please wait for back up," she pleaded with him.

"I can't wait any longer, Nell. Sam's life is in danger. Just get the others to that location ASAP." He disconnected the call as he sped along the freeway towards downtown, Los Angeles.

Nell bit on her bottom lip to prevent herself from screaming out loud her frustrations over Callen's Hardy boy behaviour. She sent the address through to Deeks, Kensi, Granger and Nassir, praying that they got there soon, before something not only happened to Sam, but also to Callen. She wasn't sure if John was with him or not. She hoped when he said, we, he meant him and John and not him and Arkday. The last time Callen went lone wolf and teamed up with Arkady, he left the Russian to be picked up on the side of a road, after he'd killed two Comescus and vanished to meet with Vasile on his own. Granger ended up with a gunshot wound to the shoulder and he and Sam were almost blown up. Michael Rhinehart was killed and they almost lost Callen. She watched the GPS locators of the two teams as they headed over to the location she'd sent them and looked over to the big screen as Eric brought up the camera feeds outside the warehouse.

The sliding doors whooshed opened as Hetty entered and stood watching the live footage from the large screen. "What's the status on our teams', Miss Jones?" Nell swivelled her chair around to face her boss.

"Granger and Nassir are fifteen minutes out. Kensi and Deeks are eleven minutes out. I have no idea where Matt and John are." Nell looked over to her boss with fear for Callen in her eyes. "I told him to wait for backup, but he said that they couldn't wait."

Hetty pursed her lips together and assessed the situation, praying in silence that Kensi and Deeks were closer to the location than Callen and John were. She'd just gotten off the phone from Arkady Kolcheck, who explained to her that Callen and John had paid him a visit and that he'd given them the address. She'd cursed herself for not warning the Russian in ensuring that he didn't provide the details to her team leader. She'd not had the time to delve into the reasons why at the time, which she now regretted. But she found herself having to explain the situation on how Callen had been on medical leave for the past four months due to a heart attack. Arkady had apologised profusely and was furious for not being told earlier. He cared for Callen like a son and was hurt for not being told about Callen's health issue. It explained to him why Callen appeared different to him. He thought at first it was because he and Hetty might have argued, but then he had wondered why Hetty had called and he'd visited him. Hadn't he asked that question to Callen, but he'd avoided it? It wasn't his fault that he'd been kept in the dark over Callen's health, nor over the fact the younger man continued to not trust him. He'd tried his best for his friend, Nikita, in looking out for him. And he'd done just that.

**_Abandoned warehouse…_**

"You sure you're up to running in there and facing gunfire, son?" John looked over to his son as he checked his clip once more on his weapon. "You still have another two months before you can get back to working in the field. You've been through a great deal more than most ever endure in their life time."

"My heart is fine, Dad. I just need to find Sam and make sure that he's safe." Callen scanned the area and prepared for battle.

John nodded and followed him along the adjoining warehouse to get into position. Callen noted the camera surveillance ahead and warned his father that they could have company at any moment. As they entered the first door that they came to, Kensi and Deeks arrived on scene and parked behind John's car. They came up behind them and followed them in. Three minutes later, Granger and Nassir joined them, providing three teams of agents. They went down the side of the warehouse and entered in another door. The warehouse was dark and dusty. Tiny scatter of footsteps from vermin flittered in the corners, sending chills up the agents' spines. They could hear talking ahead in a foreign language that only Granger, Callen and John could understand. It was Croatian and they sounded angry.

"You let a Federal Agent into your gang, you stupid fool." The man who appeared to be the boss, shouted at the leader of the San Clarita gang. "You will pay for this." A gunshot rang out and echoed through the building as the leader of the local gang fell to the floor. A pool of dark red blood flowed out from his head from the impact of the bullet, sending the rest of the San Clarita gang running for cover. Chaos erupted in the main room of the warehouse as gunfire shot out from behind crates from the San Clarita gang and the Croatians.

Callen spotted Sam's bloodied body lying still on the floor. He was tied to a pillar and there was no signs of life in him. All colour vanished from Callen's face as fear for his partner consumed him. He studied the locations of the two groups who'd erupted into an all out war. Sam was safe to the side for now, but that was only if he was still alive. He needed to provide a distraction so he could get to his partner. He looked over and saw Kensi and Deeks to their left and Granger and Nassir to their right. If they played this right, he and his father could get to Sam without being noticed, while his team surrounded them. They needed more backup, he realised and sent a text to Nell immediately, requesting for a SWAT team.

"On it," her quick reply came, pleased that he'd asked for more help. It proved to her, that although he was determined to save Sam, he was thinking like an agent. The six agents waited and stayed in the shadows. A stray bullet flew passed them, causing Kensi to look over at him with concern. They needed to act now and hoped that the SWAT team was almost there. Fifteen minutes they'd sunk in the shadow, while the San Clarita gang and the Croatians fought it out with their weapons. In the end Callen took charge and signalled for them to move in and knock people out, so he could move in closer to Sam's location, without the risk of being shot at.

They worked seamlessly as a team, John providing backup for Callen, as they moved over to where Sam lay, whilst the other four agents, silently took the assailants out one by one. Gunfire ceased and the agents had taken control back into their favour. The Croatians and gang members were tied up and their weapons removed from their vicinity, as Callen arrived by Sam's side.

"Sam," he called out. He assessed his partner and was pleased to find a pulse, although it was weak. Sam was strong and fit, so he'd had an advantage over the average guy, from the torture and abuse they'd inflicted on him.

Sam pried his eyes open, he thought he was hearing things, when he heard his partner's voice. "G?"

"Yeah, it's me. You're not dead yet and you can't get rid of me that easily," Callen joked, trying to make light of the situation. "Stay still, paramedics are on their way." He assessed his ribs and concluded that he had three broken ribs, although his torso was bloodied and black and blue from a good beating. "Anything else hurting?" He looked further for any wounds that caused the amount of blood pooling underneath him. He found a bullet wound and ripped his shirt from off him, placing pressure on his partner's leg.

Satisfied that they were in the clear, John made his way over to his son. "How is he?"

"Three broken ribs, from what I can see and a gunshot wound to the leg." Callen dialled Ops, for the status on the ambulance. "Nell, how long for the ambulance? Sam's been shot in the leg and has been beaten pretty badly. Pulse is weak, but he's conscious."

"They're pulling up outside right now. SWAT have arrived too." Nell was relieved to hear Callen's voice, that Sam was alive and that no one else on their team were injured. Eric pulled her into a hug, to comfort her. He understood what a strain the day had been on her and how much she worried over Callen's rogue behaviour. But they had found Sam alive and he was now in good hands with the two paramedics who were tending to his needs now.

"Thanks, Nell." Callen disconnected the call and moved back to allow the paramedics access to Sam. He watched them apply a tourniquet to Sam's leg and insert a shunt and attached a drip. Sam had lost a quite a bit of blood from his gunshot wound and had become dehydrated as a result. He watched them move Sam onto the stretcher and raise it back up to it's usual height to wheel him into the ambulance. "I'm coming with him." He looked to his father, who nodded, completely understanding how important it was for him to be there for his partner.

_It's good to see that Callen is thinking straight, although he's not signed off to return to work. Let's hope Sam will pull through. Love to know what you think, please leave a review._


	38. Chapter 38

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the wonderful reviews. Let's see how Sam is doing now that he's been found and taken to hospital._

**Chapter 38**

**_UCLA Medical Centre…_**

Callen sat alone in the waiting room, as Sam was prepped and taken into surgery. The lift doors pinged opened and a concerned Michelle walked out. He stood up and greeted her with a hug.

"How is he?" She might have been shorter than him, but like Hetty, Michelle had the capability to make herself appear taller. She looked up at Callen with a hint of fear in her brown eyes.

"He's strong, Shell." Callen led her to the chairs and sat down with her. "He's been beaten up and suffered a gunshot wound to his leg." He let that information sink in before he continued.

"I don't understand how he could disappear." Hetty had read her in on the whole operation that morning and how Sam had vanished from all tracking and surveillance the team had on him. For three months everything had been smooth. But someone had burned Sam and that was when everything went south. Like Callen, Michelle and their daughter Macey hadn't seen Sam for three months. It was too long for a family to be apart, especially when children were involved. "How did he get burned?"

"I don't know the specifics of the case, Shell, but from what Arkady told me earlier, the gang has been dealing with a Croatian group. I think someone from Sam's past, from when he was a SEAL, burned him. When we arrived at the warehouse, the leader of the San Clarita gang was killed for allowing a Federal Agent into their gang. There was an all out battle from both groups, so we took advantage of the situation and took them out one by one, until no one was alive or conscious. Nell and Eric are working on the identities of the Croatians for clarification on how Sam got burned."

Michelle took a ragged breath in as worry for her husband got the better of her. It was a valid fear, that one day Sam might never return home. She understood it well, being a CIA agent herself. But she knew she would never be prepared for it, just the same.

Callen wrapped his arm over Michelle's shoulders and kissed her gently on the forehead. "He's strong. He's as tough as they come. He's a SEAL, through and through."

"Thanks, Callen." Michelle looked back to him, grateful that he was there with her.

"You're welcome." It was a strange situation and a first for Callen and Michelle to sit there waiting on news on Sam. Normally it would be Sam waiting for news on Callen. It really was a turn of events in this case for them. Even when Sam had been shot the last time, Hetty had pulled the bullet out of his calf and patched him up when he refused medical aid, so he could complete a case. _And he tells me off for not wanting to stay in hospital. Well he's going to stay in this time._ Callen knew that they were indeed fortunate that Arkady was able to get the intel that they desperately needed.

Kensi and Deeks exited off the lift and walked over to them, giving Michelle a hug of comfort. "Heard anything?" Kensi asked as she sat down next to Deeks, thinking back to when she and Deeks had both been shot escaping the house when it was about to blow eight months earlier. It was never good for morale, when one of their own was injured in the line of work. Even worse, when they were shot. Marty Deeks pulled her in close and held her in his arms, understanding just how much Kensi worried over their team mates. They really were like family.

Callen shook his head. "Not yet."

Before long, Hetty, Granger, Nassir, John, Nell and Eric joined them in the long wait to hear about how Sam was doing. To them all, Sam was like the big brother, strong and larger than life. He was the former Navy SEAL who seemed untouchable to injury, even after he'd been tortured by Isaak Sidorov's man. Although, Sam often displayed his heart on his sleeve when a case touched him personally, which usually involved children. Being a father, he really was a giant teddy bear of the group. Now they banded together as a team and family to support Michelle and Callen as they waited on news on how he was.

"Family of Sam Hanna?" Dr Harry Cumberland walked over to Michelle, as she and Callen stood up to hear what the doctor had to say.

"Mrs Hanna?" Michelle nodded. "Your husband is fighter and has pulled through surgery successfully. He lost a great deal of blood and sustained numerous bruising internally on his organs as well as externally and three broken ribs. He has sustained a considerable amount of trauma to his head too, yet he was conscious on arrival. From the MRI, the swelling appears to be subsiding, which is a good sign. You will be able to go and sit with him, once he's been brought onto the ward."

Michelle gripped Callen's hand hard as she tried to rein in her emotions. _He was okay. _ That was all she needed to hear. That although he'd suffered a great deal of trauma, he was going to get through this. "Thank you, doctor." She turned into Callen and allowed him to comfort her, not caring for the team around them. She too regarded them as family, since the team had been there for her when she had to go back under as Quinn, in the Sidorov case.

**_Two hours later…_**

Callen and Michelle sat by Sam's bed, watching him sleep like a baby. The heart monitor beeped regularly and he was still attached to a bag of blood and fluids. Time for Sam was a blur when he became conscious again. As he opened his eyelids, he had to think to where he was. The familiar beeping took him back to four months earlier, when his partner had suffered a heart attack. For a moment, he thought he had fallen asleep by his partner's bedside, before he realised that it was he who was in bed. He turned his head and saw Michelle and Callen, both who had fallen asleep, waiting for him to wake up. He tried to think what had happened for him to be in bed. He looked around him and saw the blood bag and the fluids. He thought back to six years earlier when he almost lost his partner to a drive by shooting. Five bullets into his upper body. He instantly realised that he must have been shot. When he tried sit up, pain shot through his body, taking him by surprise.

Callen and Michelle woke to the sound of pain that escaped Sam's mouth. They both moved forward and realised that he was trying to sit up. "Don't move, Sam," Callen ordered him. He found the remote and raised the head end to help him sit in a more upright position.

"Hey, babe. How are you feeling?" Michelle sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking his face. "We've missed you." She leaned down and brushed her lips with his. They were dry and flakey, but she was just thankful to have him alive and safe. A tear escaped, falling onto his chest.

Sam raised his hand and brushed her cheek. "What happened to me? I feel like I've been hit by a train." He looked over to his partner. "What did you do to me?"

Callen smirked, the banter had returned and he too was ready to banter back. It was a sign for him that Sam was going to be fine. "You became a pain, so I had no choice but to knock some sense into you."

Michelle laughed, she had missed listening to her husband and his partner's banter. Sam had been moody ever since Callen had returned from West Virginia and then he had to go deep undercover for the next three months.

""What's so funny?" Sam looked at his wife, pleased to see her laugh, because when she laughed, she radiated and was so beautiful, taking his breath away every time. But he had no memory of what had happened to him.

"You've got a concussion," Michelle told him.

Sam looked back over to his partner.

"Don't look at me, bro. I came and rescued your ass from some Croatians." A smirk appeared on Callen's face, pleased to have this normality of him and Sam gloating on how many times they had to rescue the other. It made for a nice change, seeing it was usually Sam who had to come to his rescue.

"Croatians?" Callen and Michelle nodded.

"You've been undercover with the San Clarita gang for three months. You disappeared overnight and were beaten pretty badly. Your GPS devices in your clothes had been cut out, so Eric couldn't find you." Callen had been filled in with the details while they waited on news of Sam. He'd questioned the team on what had gone wrong, so he and Michelle could understand how Sam ended up in this situation. "I had Arkady make some calls, that's how we found you."

"Thanks." Sam looked over to his partner, pleased to have his partner back. "So you're back at work now?"

Callen smirked. "I hope so, I'm going crazy not working a case. Plus I've missed my partner and I want him to recover quickly, so we can show those bad guys how we make L.A. safe."

"So you went rogue?" Sam wasn't surprised, he would have done the same in his partner's position. He was grateful for Callen for finding him and being there for him.

"Kind of. But I had back up." Sam raised his brow, curious. "My Dad. Hetty told him not to let me out of his sight, so he came with me. Apparently Arkady and Nikita were old friends after all. I knew to never trust that man. Always hiding something."

Sam cringed when he tried to laugh and pain shot through him from his ribs. "I knew he had a soft spot for you," Sam hissed through his pain.

"Don't laugh, Sam. You've got three broken ribs and a gun shot wound in your leg. Not to mention all the bruising." Michelle switched into mother mode with him and Callen had to laugh. He could see where Sam got the coddling from, his wife.

"I'll give you two some private time." Callen stood up and grabbed his partner's hand in a clasp. "Good to see that you are safe now, partner. Get well and don't give the nurses a hard time. I'll be back in the morning to check up on you. I've got some smoothing out to do with Hetty, Granger and Nell due to my lack for rules and regulations." At least he'd called for back up and had approached Sam's rescue like any other operation.

_What a relief for Sam to be okay, although he's got a while yet before he's recovered from this attack on him. Good to see the old banter between Callen and Sam has returned again too. It's been too long. Love to know what you think, please leave a review._


	39. Chapter 39

Turn of Events

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from NCISLA. They all belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. I am thankful that I am allowed to borrow them and return them, ready for the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the wonderful reviews. This will be the last chapter of this story. Bringing Callen and all the other characters back to this point has been a long one, but necessary. It definitely has been turn of events throughout this story._

**Chapter 39 **

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen entered the large carved doors to the Spanish style building with a smile spread across his handsome features. It felt good, real good to walk back inside to his other home. He felt safe there where he would always return after a case with his family. Where his mother hen, Henrietta Lange would welcome her chicks back into the nest.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Matthew Summers." Hetty hid her own smile and pursed her lips as she approached her team leader. "You were ordered, were you not, to stay away from today's operation?"

Callen faltered, _oh she was good, _he thought. Every time, she knew how to make him feel guilty. But he wasn't going to allow anyone that privilege this time. His need to rescue Sam was important to him. "Hetty," he began. "You know how much Sam means to me. He's more than just my partner. I've missed him after his absence for the past three months. Surely you understand why I had to do what I did?"

Hetty shook her head as she tried to hide how proud she was of the man before her. It was important that she didn't allow her own personal emotions get in the way when dealing with Callen in the work place. She couldn't afford for him to disobey orders whenever it suited him. But he had followed all the usual protocols just the same. It proved that his head was in the right place and that he would be ready as soon as the doctor signed off on his request to return to work. She noted how much he had worked to recover from his heart attack and from his abuse at the hand of Namena. He really was an amazing man. "You disobeyed my orders to stay away. You haven't been cleared. If something had happened to you, the insurance for your recovery would have been terminated. And I would have been dragged back to D.C. to be questioned by Congressman Michael Thomas once again. As it is, he believes I don't care about my people. The fact is, Matthew, I care too much for each and every one of you. I cannot lose another member of my team." She looked up at him and gazed into his eyes. "I cannot lose you, Matthew." Her stoic reputation would be dashed now, that she'd weakened from her love for her boy.

Callen stepped forward and hugged her. "Hetty, you're not going to lose me."

"We've come too close too many times already, my dear boy. Oh, you are so much like your mother. You would make her proud. I know I am very proud of the man that you've become." Her eyes misted over and she took in a deep breath to prevent the flood gates from opening.

"You know how much you, Sam and the rest of the team mean to me, Hetty. I would follow each and everyone of you to the ends of the earth to rescue you," he openly admitted.

"I know you would, Matthew." He had done just that when she went to Prague and Romania to stop the Comescu blood feud once and for all.

Owen Granger walked down the stairs, ready to pounce on the team leader for breaking command in going to Sam's rescue. But when he saw the special moment between Callen and Hetty, he hesitated. He'd heard Callen and Hetty's admission to each other and it filled his heart with pride for both the woman and the younger man. He'd been part of this unique team for only four years, and he would be the first to admit that his relationship with the team, especially with Callen had been a rocky start. Yet slowly he proved to them just how much they meant to him and that he would do whatever it took to rescue them. He had in turn gained their respect, just as he too had gained respect for each of them as he worked along side of them. He'd made it difficult from the start and noted how they closed ranks around each other when he threatened one of them. He'd tried to find Callen's father for him, without success. He'd saved his sister from drowning years earlier and placed her with the Tates, yet Callen had no knowledge of any of it, until recently. He was going to change, he'd decided, from that moment on. To make amends with the past and press forward with a confidence in his people, who made him proud each and every day.

"You did good today, Matthew." Callen looked up with surprise at Granger's admission. "You've proven to us that you are indeed ready to return to work. You ensured that you had backup, called in with the latest intel and led us to a successful rescue of your partner. Once your doctor gives you the all clear, we will be glad you have you back to lead your team again." He patted Callen on the shoulder and shook his hand.

Hetty beamed at the difference in Owen Granger since his arrival on the team. Both men before her had come a long way, with their trust issues and had slowly allowed people inside their inner sanctum. It amazed her how much working as a team succeeded in bringing people together.

"Thank you, Granger." Callen stood there surprised over his admission.

Nell bounded down the stairs, and stopped in her tracks when she saw Callen in the office. Callen looked guiltily over to her, knowing that he had to face the music with her over that morning. He'd used her by following her to find out about the diner, in his quest to rescue Sam.

"Nell," Callen started.

"Oh no you don't Nell me, Matt." Nell poked her finger into his chest. Hetty and Granger stepped back and left the two of them to it. They knew that if anyone had the right to rip into him about that morning, it was Nell. "You had no right to follow me. You could have gotten yourself killed."

Nell was annoyed with him, but he also saw her fear that she would lose him again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used you like I did. But you've got to understand how important it was for me to find Sam."

"I could have lost you again, damn you, Matt. Don't you get it?" He got it alright, as he saw the tears spill down her face. He brushed the tears away with his thumb and lifted her chin.

"You're not going to lose me, Nell." Suddenly he realised just how much his team thought of him. It was no longer required for him to prove to them that he was worthy. They already felt that about him. Their concern for his welfare struck him hard in the gut, as it tightened in knots. He breathed out a ragged breath as his own emotions got the better of him. "I never intended to hurt you, Nell. I….." He was never any good at expressing his feelings, growing up in the system did that to you. He pulled her closer and captured her lips into a searing kiss, that took Nell by surprise. She fought it at first, but it felt so good to be kissed with passion. He bit on her lower lip, trying to gain excess to her warm mouth that he was sure tasted of Oreos. She melted into his hold and relented, opening up her lips for him to explore her mouth and she returned the passion as she did the same with him. She lost all sense of where she was and what she was going to scold him for, as her mind couldn't make tail of anything other than the man before her. His scent of musk and gunpowder overcame her senses. His warm body pressed up against hers as they continued to kiss like there was no tomorrow.

Suddenly, Nell remembered where they were and pulled back, gasping for a breath, as both of them tried to calm down from the heat of the moment. Her hazel eyes looked up at his cerulean orbs still in shock over the shared kiss. No one had ever kissed her like that. Even Callen had never kissed her like that before. He'd been soft and gentle. But this kiss, oh she really wanted more of it, but not inside the mission at the base of the stairs, where she was sure many of their colleagues had watched them almost consume each other like animals. As she looked around them, she noted how vacant the building had become and blushed red at the realisation that people had made themselves scarce for a reason. _Oh boy, _she thought. How was she going to be able to look people in the eye again after their public display of affection? Hetty and Granger for sure had witnessed it.

Callen sensed her embarrassment and tried to soothe her as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. As he held her wrist with his other hand, he felt the rapid beating of her pulse. "Let's get out of here." He quietly told her, leading her back out of the mission and to his car, where he opened the door for her, playing the gentleman. He ran around to the driver's side and climbed in and revved the engine. He was happy, truly happy, he realised for the first time in a real long time. He had his family, a beautiful daughter, a team who meant so much to him and Nell. Finally, he could see a future for them as they drove up the coast, not caring where they ended up. The sun was beginning to lower over the Pacific Ocean, it had been a hell of a day, but they all had come out of it unscathed.

**_One Month On…_**

Sam had been released from hospital the week before and Nell had finally found the leak to his identity being burned after a week of searching. Back in 2001, Sam and his unit had been sent on a mission into Croatia, where he came across a man who tried to take Sam down. He was the one who'd locked him up in a half buried cabinet and left him to die alongside a fellow SEAL. Sam had miraculously survived, but this Croatian had recognised him with his dealings with the San Clarita gang and dug deeper into who he really was. That was when a contact of his told him that he was now a Federal Agent. Nell traced the contact back to Marcel Janvier, who had managed to have the Croatian visit him in his North Carolina prison. Hetty ensured after that incident, that the French arms dealer could no longer have contact with anyone outside his cell block.

It was March and spring was definitely in the air in the city of Los Angeles. Callen had invited all his family and the team over to the Doheny Road property for a barbecue. He had so many people to thank for their good hearts in helping him when he needed it the most. Hetty had taken him to Switzerland and transferred all of his family's fortunes into his name, which then allowed him to set up an account in his sister and daughter's names and transferred money into them. He and Amy had devised a plan on how to house and educate the homeless and unemployed, to create a positive future in all of their lives and to aide the community of California. Senator Daniel Tate had made his announcement of the well thought out scheme and his popularity had soared amongst voters in the state. His opponents had asked him how he was going to fund the scheme, only to be told that an unnamed citizen in the State of California had kindly donated their time and money to ensure that this scheme would be a success.

The Tates moved into the Doheny Road property on the request of Callen, who felt, that although he felt safe there, it really was too big for him. He still owned the house, but he preferred his own house, where he'd lived with the Rostovs. It was plenty big enough for him whether he was alone, or whether Nell or Emily came and stayed. Callen and Amy worked hard to prepare for the barbecue the day before and they loved the time that they had together after all the years that they had missed.

He'd been allowed to return to work by his psychologist and medical doctor, not just to the office, but to lead his team out into the field. Although Sam still had another two weeks before he was allowed back into the field, come Monday, it was going to be like the good old days. Except for one thing, he'd asked Nell to marry him, the night before and they were going to announce it at the barbecue.

Callen and Amy took on the role of the hosts, allowing Daniel and Nell to mingle with everyone. Callen stood by the grill and cooked kebabs and chicken tenders before slabbing on the chunks of steak he'd especially brought in for the occasion from Montana. John assisted him alongside, while the kids jumped into the heated pool, amusing themselves, and the adults dove in for the king prawns, muscles, shrimps, breads and dips that Amy had put out for starters. When Callen was almost ready with the meat, Amy brought out a variety of salads and champagne for the announcement her baby brother was going to soon make.

"What's the special occasion?" Deeks walked over and asked Callen as he seared the meat on the grill. Callen looked over to the detective and smirked, raising one brow and shrugging. Deeks knew that look and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you bro." He grinned back and pulled out a small box out of his pocket. "I'm hoping Fern will say yes, when I ask her later tonight."

Callen looked at the diamond ring in the small jewellery box and roared out laughing, patting Deeks on the back. "About time, Marty." He was happy for his colleague, they really were a unique family. They were closer than most families who were related by blood.

Hetty stood back and watched her people intermingle and laugh with each other. Each of them had come a long way. Many had come from broken homes or got lost along the way. It was what made them good agents, but she purposefully chose each and everyone of them for what she saw in them. A quality that could aide each other to break down their walls and become a family.

Amy tapped the side of the glass with a spoon. "Food is ready. But before we start, my brother has something to say."

Everyone stopped and turned to face Callen, who had just delivered a dish full of meat onto the table. He looked nervous, Sam noted and sat with Michelle close to his side, proud of how far his partner had come. "I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all that you have done for me over the years and especially the past five months. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for each of you. Whether you are my family by blood or from choice, you all mean more than I can ever express." Callen pulled Nell to his side and held her hand firmly. "Last night, I asked Nell to marry me and she said yes." A whoop from the crowd erupted as news sunk into all of them just how far he had come over the past five months. He raised a glass. "To Nell, the light of my life. I love you always."

Glasses were raised around the tropical garden, the hint of jasmine and frangipanis scented the air, as they all toasted to the happy couple. "To Callen and Nell."

THE END!

_Thanks again for taking this journey. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it._


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